April 29, 2020

We Woke Up In A Shutdown World About 7 weeks ago, the world shutdown. We were left with nothing but our thoughts. It was like this blood curdling scream that came with no noise. We had so many questions. Mortality lurked as we stayed glued to the news. “What’s the death toll in Italy?” “What are the symptoms?” The days passed, then weeks. Every event coming up, gone; our little comforts like hair appointments and coffee shops, gone, every piece of our “normal routine” just gone. This unknown, very uncertain reality was uncomfortable to say the least. But as grim as it seemed, we woke up in a shutdown world.  Many are calling this a great awakening.  We are teaching our families how to use zoom & stay connected through video chat. We are drinking coffee “with” friends in our trunks. We are parading in our cars to celebrate birthdays & loved ones to tell them they matter. We are placing hearts in our windows to show complete strangers we appreciate them. We are supporting businesses by adapting to online orders and curbside pickups. We are sharing toilet paper and baby wipes. We are emptying kennels across the country. We are grocery shopping for neighbors and making face-masks. We are planting seeds & taking care of the earth. We are learning without even realizing it, that it is in our nature to fill our time with kindness and gratitude. We are choosing to find purpose and meaning even when our jobs, our schools, and our freedom don’t exist in these moments.  This shutdown has taught us a lot. People will make face masks out of anything. We love our freedom. We aren’t as anti-people as we thought we were, we’d probably hug a complete stranger at this point.  “Essential workers” are true heroes. We touch our faces A LOT. Teachers are magical beings. When the days of hugging and handshakes come back, we will appreciate them so much more. There is so much we will appreciate more. In the meantime, don’t give up. Each day may be different, some better than others, but when your hope is fading, or sadness it upon you, remember this. There are people out there rooting for you. There are people who would love to hug you who don’t even know you. And there is a lot more good in this world then we thought. Here’s to celebrating kindness, gratitude and love and carrying it on long past our days of shutdown. Jenn Zedaker is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach. She loves to create and share content via her blog & monthly newsletter. Using her education, experience and passion you’ll find fun workouts, delicious recipes, and helpful eBooks! All geared to help you live a happy and healthy lifestyle! Facebook Instagram Pinterest