March 16, 2020 7:15 am
Today is not the day to launch that ambitious homeschool plan. Today is not the day to clock in eight hours from your makeshift bedroom office. Today is not the day to refresh the news every minute and worry over what will happen next.
It has happened. School is canceled. Concerts are canceled. Bars are canceled. Offices are canceled. Normal life as we know it is canceled.
But you know what’s not canceled? Nature, friendship, walks, exercise, meditation, art, books, dancing, singing, loving.
For today, let’s try to process and breathe, to let ourselves settle a little. We’ll figure things out as we go. Perhaps the plans we make will work for us. Perhaps they won’t. But right now, for today, let’s try to relax.
I went on a run yesterday and was reminded of how simple yet powerful running can be. It’s been awhile since I was a regular runner, but last night, I slipped on my old trusty sneakers and ran out the door. At first my thoughts raced in circles, winding through all the disruptions of the past few days, my daunting to-do list, the plethora of unknowns that remain, but the beautiful thing about running is that it eventually takes over. The pounding of my feet, the depth of my breath, the pace of my heart. Every time I run, my body finds its own rhythm that pulls me away from my mind and shuts off my thoughts. Afterwards, I am always refreshed (if also exhausted and sore).
If you can, get outside today (in a safe, socially-distant way, obviously). I have to work most of the day, but at a certain point, I do plan to shut off my computer and phone and go to the beach with my family. We need these escapes, these breaks, these resets. Everything has changed so quickly; it’s time for a collective slow down – of both the virus and ourselves.
To those of you who are differently abled, sick, living alone, or for another reason unable to walk, exercise, get outside, or physically be with your people, I hope you can find other ways to connect. Perhaps sitting by a window to birdwatch will help, or Facetiming with a friend. But to matter what you decide to do, please know I am sending big love.
Because ultimately, that’s what today (dare I say every day?) is all about: love.
Sometimes this whole thing feels like a wild experiment a group of aliens is performing on us, like how the earth was created in The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy because the intergalactic space team needed a new computer. But this is not a sci-fi novel. This is reality, and it’s only going to get more intense. Good thing we’ve been stockpiling snacks and liquor!
Y’all, we need some chill. One place that’s still safe: nature! If you have a car, I urge you to go to the beach or the woods. My family hit up the W 29th St side of Coney Island this afternoon, and it was glorious. Only a handful of other people were there, scattered around at a very respectable social distance. Some flew kites from the shore. Others walked or biked along the boardwalk. A couple of dogs bounded about. The waves rolled. The sun poured. Within minutes of arriving, L and I tore our shoes off and ran barefoot across the sand. We even splashed in the icy water a few times; what a delightful jolt that was! Afterwards, we searched for dinosaur bones and pieced together a “a whole complete skeleton” made of broken seashell bits. It was exactly the escape I needed.
Becky Fine-Firesheets 