Covid-19: Mindfulness and Medicine
Over the past ten days, I have been reflecting quite a bit about how the experience of navigating the pandemic has changed people globally, and also how I see the world. I have dug deep inside myself, and also thought how my thoughts, words, and actions affect my family, community and even the greater reach to humanity.
In my first article I wrote about how the pandemic has shaped my perspective. In the second — having peered into my own perspective — I wrote about how my new perspective has shaped my current thinking with respect to “change.”
Today, I want to offer a different view into what we can do, now that we have made time for reflection and given the personal and global aspects a proper definition. So let’s get going.
On a “normal” day — see article one for my new perspective on normal — I begin my day with a cup of coffee a devotional reading and then writing— my “quiet time” to work on my novel. All writers are different, but I find that the creative side of my brain works best before my analytical brain “wakes up,” so to speak. This is the time I use to get myself grounded, and the time spent writing gives me both a sense of personal accomplishment and provides the stepping stone toward a successful day for me. Start with what you love!
In the past week, I have added a book to my reading routine: Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hahn. It is a simple and easy read. It can be read as a devotional; a small dose each day for careful and continuous reflection throughout the day. As an example, I want to share a poem from the book by Marion Tripp.
“The Dandelion Poem”
I have lost my smile
but don’t worry.
The dandelion has it.
Most of you probably know, or have heard, the act of smiling relaxes muscles in the face, reduces stress and elicits a feeling of happiness. The suggestion from this small passage from Peace Is Every Step was to place something near you, so first thing in the morning you have something to smile about. This small exercise, small as it may be, is an exercise in mindfulness. Try it!
Just for a moment now, let’s talk about medicine. While most of the focus has been on the number of new cases to date, the shift has now taken a step forward toward finding a vaccine. As Bill Gates explains in this article from his GatesNotes blog, the average time it takes to develop a vaccine is 5 years. Gates thinks we have a chance to develop a vaccine within the next 18 months, and I am placing my bet on him. My reason: he has committed a large amount of his personal wealth on this very initiative — making a vaccine available to the world in record time.
Here is my question for reflection to you, as we reflect together on the intersection of mindfulness and medicine: Will the successful development of a vaccine for Covid-19 change how you feel about your personal safety? Will knowing that we have one automatically christen you with the feeling of peace?
I’m placing my bet on the medical community for a vaccine in eighteen months, but would not place any wager, of any amount, that a successful vaccine will give you the unwavering gift of peace. Why, you say? Because peace begins from within. Your mind, your body, your soul; your very being. Only you can find it and harness it.
Therefore, my suggestion to you is this: Find a dandelion, or the flower that makes you smile. Find your joy in a child; yours or another you see at the laundromat or grocery store whose mind is not tainted with anxiety and fear, but instead with youthful ignorance, a smile, and therefore; happiness. Take a walk along the road with your brother or sister. Make your mother or grandmother her favorite breakfast — because you can find a positive springboard in the wee-hours of the morning.
Just Smile — meet the day with all the blessings that abound; they are there waiting for you to meet them with your awareness. And that my friend, is the best medicine that is available.
