In Case You Needed to Hear it…

Chris Goldberg’s Flickr

This may not be what anyone wants to read right now but having been through my husband’s near-death and a 100-day quarantine that ended right as this pandemic rolled out, I can tell you this: If it doesn’t entirely break you, this experience will make you stronger, more creative, more resourceful, more emotionally- and community-connected and more assertive than you ever were before.

Make no mistake, in the process of getting to the other side, you may be knocked and thrown all around the place as if you were on the main deck of a ship in a terrible storm. It will leave you bruised, beat-up, tender in places and maybe traumatized, but when the clouds lift, you will feel and you will BE freaking indomitable, possessing of whole skills and strengths you never realized you had. Mark my words. Just don’t confuse your vulnerability for fragility, because they can feel kind of similar: You will be powerful beyond description. You already are. This experience will make sure of it if there were any questions remaining. We will emerge to a whole planet of tender-tough survivors and thrivers.

Please understand that I’m not being dismissive of what a nightmare and a threat this is in many lives. I’m just saying, you will barely recognize yourself when this is all behind you. In the loss of innocence, you will have more strength, wisdom, resourcefulness, skills and compassion to make up for it.

In the meantime, stay safe and know that I am sending you my very best thoughts. You are loved.