The Beauty of a New Page

It’s been seven weeks of a radically different lifestyle for everyone. Whether you are an essential worker or are fortunate enough to work from home, things certainly have been different.

We have to think carefully before we do things and go places. There’s been way more time at home, and if you live with others, a lot more togetherness. Things are oddly peaceful and stressful at the same time at our house. We are safe and healthy but concerned for the state of the world.

In light of this, there’s something about the turn of a calendar page that feels hopeful and freeing. As the calendar turned over to May, I was reminded that my sixteenth year as a teacher is fast approaching its end. Not the way I would have expected it though. Schools are closed for the academic year.

New territory.

Any other time, the bustle of final exams and graduation day punctuate the end of the year, giving it a sense of finality. This time, the emotional closure of this school year is uncertain. Not sure how we will have a graduation ceremony just yet, as New Jersey is the second hardest-hit state in the US for COVID-19.

Despite it all, May is a good time to shelter-in-place. There’s gardening to do. Bike rides to take. Backyard bonfires to enjoy. Quiet morning coffee to sip. While there’s a lot of bad going on around us right now, purposing to look for the good is a key survival strategy. Simple things have a way of bringing hope and perspective.

While there are losses and difficulties in these times, we must process them but remember to evaluate our lives for what’s positive. It’s a tricky business, but it can be done. Here’s a piece I wrote about the grief this season has brought me and how I’m managing it.

Author’s Note: I must apologize for the emails devoid of content that I sent my new subscribers the past two weeks. I missed a setting on my email template but have corrected it. So sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for your gracious readership. I appreciate you! If you’d like to access the missing content, you can go to the main page of the website to read the previous blog posts.

With Love and Gratitude,