Five Things That are not Canceled

Weirdest, weirdest week. Life has seemingly been canceled. All fun canceled. When Disneyland closed I knew it was serious. And I know that Covid-19 is serous. But life is not canceled. And to keep me from spiraling into self-isolating depression, I am taking stalk of the things we have in life that are not canceled.

1. Laughter. Laughter is never canceled. It may be inappropriate to laugh at certain times but right now, in this time of uncertainty, I have to laugh or else I’ll cry. Everyone’s humor is different. Mine is not very sophisticated. My family and I have been laughing at crotch shots on AFV for over 20 yrs. A family laughing together is cathartic. And our new meme culture brings our family group text much joy.

2. Family Games. I love to play games. We have gratefully graduated from Candy Land and Don’t Wake Daddy but I’ll admit it’s harder to get the remaining teenage boys in my house to sit down at the table with me. Our fave games the last few years are Jackbox games that can be downloaded on your streaming device like am Amazon Firestick or Roku. We can sit on our couch, on our phones (our favorite thing to do) and have the best time. We are connected and laughing without moving a muscle.

3. Podcasts. My love of podcasts has grown over the last couple of years as I have traveled more to see my adult kids up north. Smarter people telling me about the world and other humans is my jam. There are thousands to pick from and it’s okay to have lots of different interests. My faves range from true crime to life coaching to spirituality. After a few hours of true crime, you will feel like you could solve one of them yourself. My faves are Sword and Scale and Crime Junkies. My fave life coach is podcast is Better Than Happy by Jody Moore. She teaches how to rethink emotions, feelings, and thoughts that drive us. A few words from her totally ground me.

4. Outside. Unless you are actually quarantined, going outside is not canceled. I am not the MOST outdoorsy person, while I like to hike and camp, I don’t need to do it every day. But every time I do something outside I feel so much better for having done it. After I escaped to the beach a few weeks ago, I felt like a new woman. While social distancing is still recommended, going on walks and hikes are the vitamin D that may be required in times like these.

5. Carbohydrates and sweets. I know. I know. I myself have lost 18 lbs since January. I have been so good. But in times of crisis, it’s important to take care of ourselves. There is going to be more TV and movie watching, working from home, kids whining, and this is not a time to say no to all our needs. I have been shoving cookies in my mouth here and there and may have stalked up on Easter candy. And making popcorn when I’m sad and stressed is a must. I am not going to feel guilty about it and enjoy eating my feelings.

In this weird, weird time, I hope that everyone can find their thing. Their thing that has NOT been canceled that will bring distraction and calm. Unplug, unhook, unwind and trust God.