What. Just. Happened?
CoVID happened. Last week I was in Arizona counting down the 7 days until our Gratitude Gala in Phoenix AZ. This week I am self-isolating in Utah and wondering when we will be able to gather together again.
Life can turn on a dime, and it just did.
The saying, “Life can turn on a dime” is often interpreted as “Live your life now, because you could walk outside and be run over by a bus any time.”
And I’m pretty certain we were just hit by the proverbial bus! And it didn’t just keep driving on, it’s still here, rolling back and forth over our lives. It’s so sad. And scary. But there’s always an upside…we just have to find it.
And over the course of my life, I’ve tried to use the phrase “Life can turn on a dime” in a more positive way. Life can turn on a dime can provide hope to someone who believes they are on a course they cannot change. It can bring a smile to someone drowning in anxiety or depression. It can offer comfort to all of us as we take a minute to pause and reflect on what GOOD thing might happen next, without warning.
What better time than right now to find a positive interpretation for this oft-used phrase?
Yes, life can turn on a dime, and yes, it just did…but now let’s set in motion thoughts and actions that will turn it again, in a positive way.
What are we going to do during this new isolated way of living to make our time at home a positive experience? Here are a few ideas:
- Family time: well, you’re stuck at home with them, what better time to get reacquainted?
- Listen! The key is to listen! Let your loved one’s talk, listen to their concerns, allow them to be honest and transparent by making them feel safe with you. Don’t interject your thoughts into theirs, let them express themselves. Respect their opinions, even if yours are different. Share Together!
- Play! Games are a great way to bring everyone together (pull the sulkers from their bedrooms), and Have Fun Together!
- Eat! Cook together, plan meals together…most of us are so used to rushing home with fast food or a quick meal, not that we are home together we can plan and cook together. Enjoy meals together!
- Exercise! You don’t need equipment to start an exercise routine…and you can do it with your family. Remember those gym calisthenics we used to do? Do them at home! Take a walk outside, open the windows for fresh air in your home. Feel better together!
- Read Books, Watch Movies! And then talk about them, together!
- Career change: if you’ve been thinking about a career move, now is the time to do the research, earn certifications online, send applications, check out online courses through universities – everyone has gone virtual, so you can work almost anywhere!
- Self-Care: it sounds impossible when you are sequestered at home with your entire family, but it’s not. Make the time for yourself, demand it (in a nice way), and take a bath, read a book, write in a journal, give yourself a pedicure, whatever it is that makes you feel more relaxed.
- Increase your faith: take the time you spent commuting to study and meditate and pray. Renew your faith by putting thoughts into the universe and then watching and listening for responses. Pray and ponder. Take deep breaths and find your center again. Add calm to your daily experience.
There are so many more things we can do while at home during this time, but this is a start. I am as new to this as you are. Two weeks in lock down and I’m adjusting. I hope you are too…because what just happened can happen again and again and again. So let’s be ready for it and get through it…together!
Let’s turn our lives on a dime…let’s turn this time to a positive, healing time of reconnection, rest and communication. How?
Be positive. Find the positive. Stay positive.
And wear a mask!
An unintentional leader, influencer, and socialpreneur, Jean Krisle intentionally founded and continues to lead 10,000 Beds, a 501c3 nonprofit organization now in its 7th year of operation. Building from a desire to support the many individuals without resources seeking help for a substance use disorder, Jean built 10,000 Beds from a simple idea to a nationwide, life-changing and inspirational force in the addiction & recovery community with more than $10,000,000 in addiction treatment scholarships awarded nationwide.
As an admired speaker, coach, and consultant, Jean speaks from decades of personal experience on the critical strengths of courage, hope, and resilience in business and personal lives. Jean motivates us to face each day with courage, tenacity, hope, and resiliency. She inspires all of us to recognize the strengths we’ve gained through the challenges we’ve faced.
Jean passionately reminds us that we are all in recovery from something and that recovery from anything- loss, failure, disappointment, addictions, etc. – is something we should build on and be proud of! And she teaches us how to do it! For more information about Jean’s availability please contact her via email at jean@10000beds.org.