In Place of Panic
(during this unprecedented pandemic)
Reading time: approximately 4 minutes
This unprecedented time in which we are currently living has the ability to produce mind numbing-panic.
It is easy to swing from calm to chaos and back in a matter of minutes.
It is easy to visualize being swept away in the tsunami.
If you have ever experienced walking across an ancient, unrepaired, swinging bridge, this pandemic closely mimics that intense experience.
Walking across a swinging bridge taught me a lot about what to do in place of panic. Allow me to share!
Have you ever walked across a river on a swinging bridge?
Crossing a river via a swinging bridge can be a panic inducing event.
There is the raging river you can see below the bridge, the wind that rocks the bridge, the slats that are missing from the walkway and of course the individual (possibly an older sister 😊 )that takes great delight in going in front and running and jumping and shaking the bridge, inducing even more panic.
If you have ever crossed a swinging bridge, it was probably a voluntary decision. For the thrill, the fun or simply to get to the swimming hole.
Our nation, indeed, our entire world, is facing an unprecedented situation that most of us have never experienced.
To me, it feels like we have involuntarily been thrust on the mother of all swinging bridges.
There are howling winds, raging rivers and gaping holes that will have to be navigated. And oh, the individuals shaking that bridge are too many to count.
I can’t say that I will ever love crossing a swinging bridge but there are certainly lessons that can apply to the situation we are currently facing.
In place of panic;
Focus on getting to the other side
As a world, as a nation, as individuals, we are certainly making a journey to an unknown destination. Keep your eye on the end. Simply take the next step, do the next thing, focus on what has to be taken care of today. Don’t dwell on what might be ahead. Eventually, the other end will be in site.
But what might be ahead is scary
The unknown is scary. It is what is going to produce the most panic in the days and weeks ahead. If you think about what might be ahead, use that as an opportunity to plan how you can navigate.
Hold on to those around you
We are all on this bridge. Some with families, some alone. If we hold on to those around us, help where we can, more individuals will get safely to the other side. Holding on does not have to be a grand gesture. An encouraging phone call, a meal dropped off. This is a time that little things can shine.
DON’T SHAKE THE BRIDGE FOR OTHERS
While it may be fun to shake a swinging bridge when your siblings are crossing (I’m looking at you, Lynn 😊) it is not o.k. to be the one that shakes the bridge right now.
Be careful what you pass on as fact.
Just because you hear or read it, doesn’t mean it’s true. Passing on wildly inaccurate information results in a body jarring shake for others.
Don’t let anyone shake the bridge for you!
That wild information someone passes on that really shakes the bridge for you; take a deep breath and don’t immediately believe it is accurate. Look to credible sources.
A service worker relayed some information that shook my world. She was so confident in what she said that I immediately believed her. Turns out, it wasn’t true.
Lesson learned.
Don’t look back
Do we all want to turn back? Yes! Is that an option? No!
Could’ve, should’ve, would’ve is not productive. Learn from this. Once we are on the other side we can apply all those hard-learned lessons.
Now we know why our depression era grandparents were hoarders. They learned from their journey. We all will too. (Your grandchildren and great grandchildren are going to wonder why grandma hoards toilet paper 😊)
Count your blessings
You’re on this walk. You’ve made it this far. You opened your eyes this morning. Find something for which to be thankful.
This is a wild walk. Let’s focus on making it to the other side together.
LIKE IT? SHARE IT!
(It’s a little thing that would mean a lot to me!)
|
Like what you see? As a bonus, receive access to the subscribers’ area, Living by Lists!
|
Another wonderfully, uplifting blog! Thanks for your thoughts (and the giggles about Lyn swinging the bridge….she truly was just rotten😂). Love you bunches!
Very well said Micki and thanks for the advice.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for the compliment! Such fun times and great memories of all of us together! And yes, Lynn was rotten! (but so much fun!). Love you bunches too. 🙂
What you may not have known was that crossing the bridge was scary for me too. But the enjoyment of creating a “memorable” crossing for everyone else took my mind off the scary part. So during this frightening time if we concentrate on making others’ journeys less frightening or difficult it may take our mind off of our own panic.
That is a perfect analogy. In helping others, we ultimately help ourselves. And having fun along the way is a bonus.
And we sure did have fun!