Ripples #1086: What’s Happening?
March 16, 2020
PEBBLE
Life isn’t only happening to us, we are happening to life.
-Toko-pa Turner, shared by Leslie in Madison, WI
BOULDER
A big event can make it feel like the world is falling apart, but there are millions of tiny acts of kindness still holding it together. -TwistedDoodles, shared by Nick in Indiana via Team Ripples Facebook Group
PONDER
I realize this is an understatement, but for the record let me state it clearly so we are on the same page: there is a LOT going on in the world right now, eh?
No matter where you are, and now matter the distance between you and the nearest person who is sick, the situation regarding COVID-19 is unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and quite unpleasant. It is not, however, unbearable. I know this because we are bearing it right now. You, me, and millions of other people are adjusting and making plans and making it through. This is impacting some people more than others, and the longer it lasts the more messy it is going to get. Which makes it even more important that we balance the protection of our physical safety with equally radical measures to ensure our emotional and social safety, too.
New levels of hand-washing will help us decrease the spread of germs; we also need to refresh our habits around staying mentally positive: cleaning up our attitude and our outlook while scrubbing away excessive cynicism and unhelpful negativity. Social distancing requires temporarily maintaining physical distance from each other; we will need to counter with a greater reliance on alternative methods of of “social closening:” brief texts and longer video chats, emoji waves and virtual hugs, goofy new social greeting gestures and good old fashioned handwritten letters. None of these are perfect replacements, but as a society we simply cannot afford to drift any farther apart than we already have.
I can tell you that I’ve ramped up the frequency and intensity of my Facebook and Twitter posts, and our Team Ripples Facebook Group is helping us all stay informed and inspired. I’ve also committed to posting brief upbeat videos like this and this; you’re invited to subscribe to my YouTube page.
And of course these weekly splashes will keep zooming out every Monday morning, just like we did in the aftermath of 9/11, the 2008-09 economic meltdown, and the myriad natural disasters and human-caused tragedies that we’ve helped each other face in the last two decades. For over a thousand weeks in a row we’ve kept each other going and growing with inspiration and resources and genuine support. We’re not stopping any time soon.
I don’t know how long things are going to be weird. And I don’t know how bad things are going to get. But I’ve lived through enough difficulty to know: we humans are built pretty darn tough, and we do life best when we do it together. Whatever happens in life, remember that we are happening, too. #WeGotThis
Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
