Affirmations 3.17.20 (for your quarantine and mine)

Reach out to your loved ones. I’ve been calling my Mom and Dad pretty regularly. They are in Mexico and it causes me great anxiety to think this virus may affect them and I am a thousand miles away, unable to help. I want to listen to them, hear their stories, their advice, and I want their laughter close to me. Hold on to your loved ones and draw strength from them and for them. I hold my son close and we all must relish the act of keeping them busy, keep them learning, and keep them active. It’s a lot to do, but there is good in it. Madd and I recorded the latest Our Kid’s Asleep because we were overdue, and we also needed to voice our opinions on the Corona Virus. It’s healthy to talk about fear. Talk about the good as much as the fear. Laugh as much as you need to.

Reach for your art. I am playing the keyboard in the basement even though it’s cold down there. It is a great comfort to play old songs and come up with new ones. I am emboldened by it and it makes me feel alive even though we can’t go out right now. I’m writing lyrics in an effort to distract myself from the daily onslaught of horrible news. I’m collaborating with a musician I met on Reddit and I want to wrap up some story lyrics in the next few days. I’m less afraid knowing there is creative progress with every letter I etch on my notebooks.

Reach out to your people. Advocate for those you care about. Pick up the phone, send a text, message your great motivators. Lift them up and let them do the same for you. Be inspired by your friends and creative folk who are beacons of joy, empathy and contemplation in hard times. Support your artists and those who have a positive message to share.

Stay informed, but don’t drown in it. As of late, and as an addict of attention, information, and understanding, I refresh Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and Instagram in the worst way. Now is not the time to pay your tithe of FOMO to your cellphone. Listen to the news, just don’t overdo it. Your sanity depends on it.