You may have heard many times throughout your life the famous quotes that relate to “seeing the world through the eyes of a child” perhaps there is no better time than during a pandemic to engage that thought.
I was sitting at my computer working on a newsletter when my 12-year-old daughter was sweeping the hallway behind me. I couldn’t help but overhear her sweet voice singing the tune “I Got the Feeling” (by Justin Timberlake from the Trolls movie) as the broom became her microphone. “I got that sunshine in my pocket. Got that good soul in my feet.”
It reminded me that while we are all “adulting,” for some that’s homeschooling children, caring for a household, dealing with family issues, wondering if there will be work or food … children still find joy, laughter, and silly moments.
I’m not downplaying that many children are experiencing hard times, extreme stress and worry but there’s something about the heart of a child that can find a simpleness in life that we sometimes overlook.
Would we be happier or find joy in the moment if our broom could become our microphone? If doing dishes was really about playing in bubbles? If exercise was a 10-minute dance party?
Could there be any truer words of what we need to do in our lives right now? We need to “take care.” … I hope that today, wherever you are, in whatever you are doing, you can find a moment to “play in the bubbles,” “sing with a broom,” or just pause and reflect on the good around you.
Suzette Andres, ARC Director
My daughters have been engaging in the old-school form of communication by mailing letters back and forth (think of loved ones in your family who might enjoy this). One of their friends recently shared ideas of things my girls might do during the quarantine. I thought these ideas might engage our minds of overlooked opportunities: practice a sport, paint rocks, teach your dog a new trick, organize your desk, plant some seeds so you have a responsibility by tending to them each day, watch a favorite show. She wrote, “One thing that I did that made quarantine soooo much better was that I rearranged my room. It makes the same place that I’ve been cooped up in feel like a new place and has made being in my room so much more enjoyable.”
Sometimes our worlds become so bogged down with the “shoulds” and “have to’s” that we hurdle over the moments that we could make a small change and brighten our days. We might not have time to rearrange a whole space but maybe we could rearrange a shelf or clean an area.
One of my close friends lives in a rural area so spending large amounts of time outdoors is part of their everyday life. Recently her two-year-old was trampling through the fallen leaves while on a walk and stopped, turned, focused on her mom, and said: “We take care.” Could there be any truer words of what we need to do in our lives right now? We need to “take care.” Whether we are one of the hero’s working on the front lines, the parent trying to balance working at home with homeschooling children, the single parent trying to get by, or the family that is on the verge of losing everything … we must “take care”. We must take care of our emotional and mental health during this time. I hope that today, wherever you are, in whatever you are doing, you can find a moment to “play in the bubbles,” “sing with a broom,” or just pause and reflect on the good around you.
