In Times of Isolation

I’ve always been a home body so I keep busy and I actually enjoy just being in my space. However, three weeks into it and the extrovert in me is getting a little bored. It’s midday here in Costa Rica and so far I’ve had three Zoom meetings, one WhatsApp call, a few voice message interactions, and I could go on….I could almost ignore lunch just to keep interacting with familiar faces!   

We are living interesting times and in my perspective I have to say,  good times.  I don’t want to brush through that statement lightly for I do know of the effects the virus is having on us all. I am personally seeing it in my family. And when it hits home, it becomes personal.

In saying that,  I have lived the most amazing moments with my loved ones. Yes, these moments have been confined to a laptop or smartphone, but they have been so real, honest and life changing.

Instead of a day filled with routine, we find ourselves being more intentional. We plan little projects and make a big deal of them. We have become more aware of those around us, and we’ve  realized family and friends are our priority. We’ve become creative experts at living simply and making do.   The air we breath is cleaner. It’s all changing around us , and we are being changed from the inside…and this is good, so good.

It all caught us by surprise and we continue to face the unknown but we have realized how vulnerable we are and all we can do is surrender. I’ve been meditating a lot on words from Albert Espinoza, a Spanish writer and cancer survivor,  “to live is to learn to lose what you’ve gained”.   

Loss is real and life-changing. It highlights what we do have!

Photo by Rickus Brandt
A Monarch chrysalis. Butterflies stay in their chrysalis for weeks until they are ready. The environment needs to be ideal for them to come out, feed on plants, lay eggs and to start the cycle again.

In this time of isolation, let’s dig deep,  fill our empty cups. So that we can be ready to live more purposefully, love fearlessly and give without reservation.