Godspeed

Every week for the last few weeks has ended with a huge exhale followed by the largest inhale I can imagine to power through what’s ahead. It’s exhausting.

On the face of it, from the comfort of my home, it’s easy to act as if nothing is amiss. The fridge is full, we have electricity, heat, water, food, internet and everyone is healthy. The cadence of a day isn’t wildly different than usual with the exception that I know that just past my driveway is a world vastly different each day than the prior. Always looking for opportunity, the challenge creating the opportunity is fully laden with heartbreak.

This past week I received messages of friends who have lost multiple friends. The rising death toll, growing exponentially, in the state that I live in. The fear in my son’s voice as he heads out to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. The weight of people locked into their apartments in New York City. The collapse of global markets as war is waged on all fronts with the slowing realization that we’ll only win this war with everyone allied.

We all choose how we behave in crisis. Do we duck and cover? Jump into the thick of the situation with unbridled bravery? Stick our head in the sand? I expect our leaders to be empathetically open and transparent and to use facts and data to make decisions. My inhale for this week is that there’s more working together to save the human race than fighting against to shore up a fiefdom.

Remember to breathe. To exhale, often, to allow for the renewing power of the inhale.

Be safe. Be well. Godspeed.