HOW HARD SIMPLE CAN BE
Timing has never been a strong suit of mine! “Start a blog smack dab in the middle of a pandemic, “geez what am I thinking?”
Allow me to digress a bit. You see, my company was all set to launch a brand new wildlife adventure tour to co-exist alongside our already popular Canandaigua Uptown Food Tour Adventure, located in the heart of the Finger Lakes Region. The Montezuma National Wildlife Tour was to have commenced on the first Tuesday in April 2020 from 1:30-4:30 PM.
AND THEN…An insidious virus dubbed COVID-19 decided to make a full body slam into the state of NY, where I reside; bringing with it, crippling and reverberating effects no one would have imagined to unsuspecting people around the world. Individual states and their governors, world leaders, health organizations, market investors, you name it, began making the burdensome decision whether to shut the world down or reckon with untold consequences. The nightly news churned out story after story, with dialogue and viewpoints abounding. Consciously or unconsciously their commentaries, thoughts and opinions took me/us on a roller coaster ride with sheer “Uncertainty”. Human nature being what it is, it was no wonder we didn’t take kindly to the not KNOWING, I, being one of them! The impact of this unfolding event thrust me right back to those unwanted feelings of fear when the horrific terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001 occurred. I struggled with unanswerable questions, attempting to sort and find meaning of a situation I, or no one would have imagined.
- What do you do when you feel so small and the world appears so complex?
- Who do you turn to for certainty when our world looks upside down?
- Where do we discover the next step or the best course of action to take?
The loudest voice in my head screamed, time is money, time is of the essence, which is apparently everyone’s 21st century reality. How hard…simple can be when feelings of not knowing come at us like a tsunami.
BUT, it’s then I know I need to take a breath, pause and wait for a different voice, to tell me a different truth. This antidote, albeit bitter and difficult to swallow is much needed when confusion, helplessness and fear have become the new reality, to deal with what is right in front of me. Did I run the gamut of emotions our new tour didn’t get off the ground as scheduled after all the detailed preparation work, marketing and hoopla involved? A HARD YES to be sure! AND YET…
Upending our lives as I/we have come to know; let’s be honest I/we don’t do all that well. Have you noticed when difficulty arises, rushing at us full throttle; we push/pull, dig in with our heels no matter the cost? Oh, and did I mention the finger-pointing, blame game, or the ever popular denial process? For total transparency purposes, I have employed all the above mentioned behaviors at one time or another. I’m still in training me to see things as they are and NOT as my wounded ego believes they should be. It’s hard, and truth be told…I’m still learning. Why is the lesson of having the rug yanked out from underneath us, the ultimate teacher? Which leads me to the here and now. The “bogeyman” is at our front doors.
Yet, maybe “timing” has brought all of us to a pivotal point to entertain some deeper questions like:
Could it be this pandemic be a tipping point for us to “reset”?
Are we ultimately being challenged to look deep into our own hearts for the greater good of all, rather than our own individualistic purposes?
Is it too bold a statement to say grief is necessary and something we should no longer push aside?
Have these imposed circumstances quite possibly become the catalyst for greater change in ways we cannot fathom right now?
From personal experience of my own and mediating disputes in my hometown for cases involving custody & visitation over the years, human beings it appears need to struggle with, fight with, then eventually sit with, “something” internally & externally before, we can understand what really matters. And no matter the timing all problems, uncertainties, contradictions must first find a resolution in us, before anything can be solved “out” there.
A N D
acronym for:
ANOTHER NEW DEVELOPMENT
I’m viewing the nightly news lately with a different set of lenses now watching a surge of creativity, generosity and humility towards humanity unfold. I see attitudes more with then against now. I see with unprecedented courage, a regard and willingness to reach the goal line for the very reason…it’s “the right thing” to do. That I believe is the very definition of TRUST!
Maybe it’s no longer beneficial or self-serving for us to continue with the ever popular either/or, us/them and I’m right/you’re wrong thinking mindset so pervasive in our culture today. To continue stumbling forward may just not be enough any longer as we’ve done in the past. Will there be mistakes, missteps, and failings as we figure out a different way? …No Doubt. But, I think the better question and really, really hard “next step” will be how forgiving will we need to be in the not so distant future? We are learning patience. Will we recall when the time comes to remember we’ve already done OR, and it’s now time for: AND????
Am I unsteady, unsure of when and how some semblance of life as we knew it will return? Again, another hard yes because right now I can’t imagine what it will look like.
So what do I do when I have moments of sheer panic? I grab my favorite book with colored highlighted passages: The Value in the Valley (Iyanla Vanzant) or listen to my favorite song: Everything Must Change (sung by Nina Simone) and call to memory the famous line: “This too shall pass” (it’s origins of the poet Rumi)
We have been called upon to embrace reason and logic from the scientific community and so forward we must go. And if not now, when?
For the sake of possibility then, maybe uncertainty is not something we should cast aside altogether and dismiss so easily because of its anxious-ridden side-effects. Times are tough right now, make no mistake. There was pre-coronavirus life and there will there will be a post-coronavirus life. How do we work for…look for the answers without continuing to be part of the problem? What we do with the new reality will be anyone’s guess. But I’m going to bet on: ALL 7 billion of US !!!
We’re asking that you continue being mindful…it’s still #notthetimetojumpthebroom Rest assured we will be ready and look forward once again making memories in the Finger Lakes with you when the time is right and safe to convene. To learn more about The Canandaigua Uptown Food Tour Adventure and the The Montezuma National Wildlife Tour Adventure please visit: www.FLFoodTours.com
Till then stay safe and stay healthy 🙂
