Commit to Always Finding Peace and Contentment in Life
In these times of uncertainty during this Coronavirus Pandemic, one thing is for sure; life is changing, not by the day, but sometimes, by the moment. Most if us are experiencing life in ways we have never done before and seen things happen around us that astound and scare us. All of these feelings are ok and normal during this, our “new normal”. Often it takes so much our energy, time, and efforts just to keep going as we work from home, try to manage having all of our family members home, and continue to embrace each other in positive and happy ways.
This is a type of a ‘curveball’ everyone is experiencing and working each and everyday to navigate. We continually try to be aware of all of our emotions. We acknowledge that this situation is not what makes us happy. We look for ways to make life enjoyable: family dinners, being at peace with nature, watching a sunset, watching a moonrise, or contemplating the full moon, and even extra-long talks on the phone or video chats with close friends and friends with whom we should have connected with long ago instead of just using text messages. Then we ask ourselves, ‘how can we give back’? because we seem to have maneuvered this new reality in a positive way for ourselves and our families; how can we contribute to others to make this trying time easier in a more global way?”; or what are my special gifts that may make the people around me happy, in even the smallest ways? We may organize fundraisers for the first responders, participate in the rolling parades to celebrate milestones that now cannot be celebrated, or take care of people who cannot take care of themselves during this time. We recognize our emotions and continue to acknowledge silently that this is not really the best situation; but we assure ourselves regularly that we are happy because we have chosen this path, these ways to be happy and to be positive. These activities assure us in some way that we are ‘good’, we are still the beautiful people that we always have been and we are surrounding ourselves with joy no matter what form it may take.
Then is hits…something out of the blue: the ‘curveball’. No, not necessarily the virus affecting us or anyone that we hold dear; because we never know what each day may bring with this; but we make prayer part of what we do each day to ground us in the positive and allow us to always have hope. What hits us could be something that could have happened at any time, in any space, to anyone; no matter what is happening in the world. It could be something like news from the past that changes our reality and is magnified because of the ‘new normal’. This news hurts us to our core being. We need to start to process our emotions once again from the very beginning. This news hits us and may cause us to be knocked off the pivot we are grasping onto to stay happy and positive in these times. It may even change how we arrange the new way we are living. What is for sure is that it is a setback from the place we worked so hard to get to once the pandemic hit; to the place where we could feel and regulate the emotions of this time and in this place. The ‘curveball’ often comes from the people we love and trust and have had the most faith in. Therefore, the pain and disruption that is causes makes us afraid that the ball will actually hit
us and knock us out for good. What this ‘curveball’ really forces us to do is to confront information and pain in a time and place where no person should have to. It just magnifies what is already a time when we are all looking for the positives in all aspects of life.
So how do we ‘hit the curveball’ and get a home run and get back to that of place peace, serenity, and way of being that we all have worked so hard to get to? When the ‘curveball’ comes at us and we begin to take in this unexpected information, we may seem powerless and feel like this may be the last thing we can deal with. However, it is not. The love of the people around us and sometimes even from the place where the curveball came is the way we take the initial step to first base; make a conscious choice to not let it knock us out. We now need to practice the steps of self-awareness and recognize exactly what are emotions are and channel them back to where we were when got ourselves to the new reality of being able to navigate our emotions and regulate ourselves to try to always be in positive places. We need to take this new curveball and make it OK to give ourselves permission not to keep the negative and always point us to happiness. It may be quite easy to say after everything we have been through we want to give up…but remember how strong and resilient we were when the pandemic hit. We got ourselves through with love, hope, and the assurance that out of this would come many different new happy experiences, new appreciation of many things around us, and new wonderful things that we have missed during our busy life, always on the run. All of this has happened for a reason; it is telling us to slow down and change the outlook to happiness and love. It is important to know that it nay be difficult to get to 1st base and to even try to round 1st base to get to 2nd base, never mind to 3rd base, and making hitting that curveball a home run. But with each step, we look at what has been put before us We must embrace, we must open our arms to those we love, and say we understand and accept that the curveball was not intended to hurt us, but intended to make us stronger, love deeper, appreciate nature, appreciate the world around us, and most importantly appreciate the many gifts that have been given us. The ‘curveballs” of life, whether big or small ALL have the chance to become homeruns, crossing home plate to the be a better you. Welcoming this as the best of our true self is helping us map a journey for life that will always include smiles, joy, and knowing that no matter what happens, we have the strength and resilience to always find true happiness from within. Be the best you and always embrace life with all the curveballs that may come your way.
“GOD GRANT ME THE
SERENITY
To ACCEPT THE THINGS
I CANNOT CHANGE
COURAGE
TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN; AND
THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE”
Reinhold Niebuhr
About Dr. Lynne Celli
Dr. Lynne M. Celli is the Executive Director of Leadership and Professional Education, Endicott College. She has been in education for 38 years and held multiple positions. These include executive director, associate dean, college professor, superintendent, central office administrator, K-12 principal, teacher, and educational consultant.
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