I thought I’d use this month’s mid-week blog to answer the prompts from the Daily Connector series. If you haven’t done so already (or even if you have) you can sign-up to write your own reflection HERE. There are still plenty of open slots for the end of May.
+ What is something you have lost and something you have gained during this coronavirus era?
One major thing I lost is a trip to Disney that was supposed to happen back in March. My husband loves Disney, and we were planning to celebrate his 40th birthday by helping him feel like a kid again (as if he ever stopped). There are moments when it seems trite to be so sad about this loss while so many people are suffering in far worse ways, but I try to remind myself that we all need space to grieve no matter how big or small.
One thing I’ve gained is more time at home. Both my husband and I are pretty strongly introverted, so there are lots of ways in which this has been a gift for us. There are few things I enjoy more than sitting on the front porch doing a crossword, and I’ve gained the excuse to do this far more than I normally would.
+ What is feeding your soul these days (a relationship, a practice, an article, scripture, book, podcast, film, poem, etc)?
The nutrient-rich food for the soul: I am really enjoying the Poetry Unwind Zoom-based small group that started as a way to offer people more options for connection during this time apart. Each week I leave the gathering with an image or phrase from the poem that gives me eyes to see in a new way. I am always amazed by how the deliberately slow reading and reflection on the poems helps me see things I miss on a cursory read-through. (If I’ve piqued your interest, let me know, because the group is always open to new members.)
The comfort food for the soul: Like many others, our household has succumbed to the lure of the game Animal Crossing. If you don’t know what that means, I often describe it as a cross between the open-world design elements of The Sims with the gotta-catch-’em-all nature of Pokemon set in a world akin to the Hello-Kitty-esque Japanese culture of cuteness. If that last sentence made zero sense to you, it’s ok. But if your household has also succumbed to this game’s mind-numbing cuteness, let me know and maybe we can arrange to visit one another’s islands. And lest I give the impression that this comfort food contains no nutrients, I will add that we have been able to have regular social-distanced-babysitting dates where we connect with our niece who also plays.
+ What’s it like to be you right now?
In the Poetry Unwind group, we utilize the 6-word Memoir technique to engage this question, so I offer this as my response today: Porch sitting joy causing rear-end discomfort.
