Finding Joy During a Crisis

It’s never too late to change your mindset

I recently read a beautiful opinion piece written by Mitch Album: In coronavirus crisis, our humanity saves us. In the article, he implores us to rise up, to not become the worst versions of ourselves, our neighbors, or our leaders. Instead, he states that we all need to feel a little grateful. “Feeling gratitude during a crisis is the beginning of resetting your compass.” These words struck a chord in me. They made me cry… and then they made me think. I have spent a good deal of time sheltering in place, annoyed, anxious, irritated, and jealous (of my single friends). But, the one thing I need to spend more time feeling is grateful. I am so grateful that I have my husband to turn to in times of stress, or when I’m overwhelmed. I have my best friend to share a knowing glance with when our kid says something hilarious, but we know we shouldn’t laugh. I have the most witty and thoughtful four-year-old. She is imaginative, brave, and kind. I am grateful that I get to spend so much time with her, time I would never have if I was still at work. 

While I can’t binge watch the newest Netflix shows, kick back and watch a movie when I feel like it, or read the extensive pile of books I have sitting on my bedside table, I do get to play countless games of Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and Memory. I get to build palaces made of colorful bricks of legos, and draw treasure maps that lead to untold amounts of riches. I get to draw unicorn after unicorn for my young judge until she deems them perfect enough to color. I get to watch my toddler grow brave on her balance bike and zoom down hills that once made her white with fear, (those hills still make her momma white with fear). I get to cuddle up to my dreamy four year old and read her Sandra Boynton books that make her squeal with delight, and sing her to sleep each and every night. I get to kiss her sleepy head and brush back her curls. 

I get to see some of my students excel while working at home, their creativity and imagination blooming with the extra time that is afforded to them. I get to hold office hours and see my smiling students faces, hear that they miss me, or class, or their friends, and I get to talk to them about their lives. Countless times I have read how much less stress and anxiety my students feel now that they don’t have state mandated tests looming over them, or midterms, and finals. I get to create new curriculum with my team that I have been wanting to create for a really long time, but have not had the time to work on until now. Of course, I worry for many of my students who lack support at home, who are not turning in any work, or very little. Of course, I worry about the long term effects that the school closures and shelter in place will have on my students, on their parents, on the economy. But dammit, this is a feel good piece, these are fears for another blog post. 

So, today I have decided that instead of focusing on all of the things I don’t get to do…I am going to be grateful for all the things I do get to do. I get to do all of these amazing things, wake up the next day, and do them all over again. That is truly something to be grateful for.