“I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” – Joan Didion

Thank you to Sarah at –https://thestarsandrainbowsjournal.wordpress.com/for this quote. I read it on her blog yesterday. She’s a wonderful writer and I appreciate her blog. This quote has been bouncing around in my head all day. I’ve read 2 of Joan Didion’s books. Love her! She has a unique and almost haunting voice.

I think this quote explains why I’ve fallen in love with blogging so quickly. Writing has made me more cognizant of what’s actually in my brain and how I’m feeling about it.

Today I started 3-4 different posts because I have a lot swirling around in my head.

I’m realizing that writing is helping me to be more watchful. It’s making me observe the interplay in each day. And, as I observe it, I find myself naming it. I’ve traded foggy, passive participation for conscious noticing. And this new vision is supplying me with an abundance of things to write about! Hence the 3-4 posts started today! The problem is that I had more thoughts but not enough directional clarity. Hoping that skill sharpens quickly!

Today I’m feeling like we all need to talk about our shared experiences! Nobody that I know is living a charmed life. We’re all facing more than our share of crap on a cracker. And now, with pandemic precautions, we’re facing our challenges with, in most cases, less support…or at least with less obvious support.

We all need to engage in active, conscious self care. Just like the stewardess demonstrates before every flight, put your own oxygen mask on first…then help your child or neighbor. But DO EVENTUALLY help your child or neighbor!

Well that’s where we are now! We’ve had months to adjust and to get our literal and figurative masks in place. It’s time to reach out and help someone else.

I’m saying this as much for myself as I am for anyone else. I haven’t been doing this either because I have been in recovery mode since my big fall and surgery in July. I just didn’t have much elasticity within to be supportive of too many others. I was fragile on every level of my being. In some ways, I still am. But I also know that it’s time to reach out. Time to stretch. Elasticity begets elasticity!

Consider calling your people who live alone. Send a card….remember the people in care facilities who aren’t allowed to have visitors. Reach out to remind yourself and them that none of us are alone!

Maybe it’s because I went through my recovery during Covid. When I was in the hospital and the physical rehab unit, I wasn’t allowed to leave my room….I was confined to one room for 2 solid weeks! Then 10 days home confinement because I was, apparently, near a Covid positive staff person at the rehab unit. Over 3 weeks of relative isolation was certainly a learning experience. And I learned that we need to have compassion for each other. Life is hard. Life with health challenges is harder. Life with health challenges during pandemic isolation is just too much!

But ya know what mitigates “too much?”….Kindness and compassion with a sprinkling of grace! So please try it. Reach out to someone or several someones and observe what good you can do.

I’m so glad you’re here!

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