How you doin’?
No. Seriously. How are you doing?
The Governor of Colorado just extended the stay at home orders until April 26th. I have already been home alone for two weeks. I haven’t been able to go see my people in two weeks. I haven’t been able to get that pedicure that I DESPERATELY need. I am in uncharted territory…. and so are you! We are all navigating this time in our lives alone. We are all in our own boats during this storm. We are all by ourselves on the coach in front of Netflix. And are we really okay? How are we really doing?
If I am totally honest, I am not doing all that great. Social distancing, being alone almost all day every day because my husband has been incredibly busy with calving, and not really having a purpose right now genuinely makes me sad. I see all these incredibly positive posts on social media about how people are making these incredible life changes. I hear on the radio that Google searches related to community service and how people can help their community is WAYYY up! I drive by my town’s sign, and instead of saying Flagler, it is lit up with HOPE.
And those things put joy in my heart for a few minutes. I think, “Wow, this world is changing for the better. People are gathering their community right now.” But then…. I get home to my big, empty house, where even my dog wants to be outside and run away from me any chance she can get. And again, I am filled with this emptiness. This emptiness I cannot explain. So. Because of this constant feeling, I have started doing some reflection and soul searching into what makes Emily joyful and feel full inside her every day. That answer has been many things over the last two weeks… At first I thought that if I could change my appearance (#truth. I have some deep self love and self-esteem issues) and lose some weight that the emptiness would go away. I started a new health plan. I started drinking 100oz of water a day. I stopped drinking alcohol. I started walking 30 minutes a day. I started to practice my golf game.
But. That didn’t fill the emptiness.
I started to look into new hobbies and start some research on Zeb and my dream of having a Lavender Farm and fruit and vegetable garden. I read a bunch of books. I looked into where to buy plants. I even borrowed a rototiller. I got my college Horticulture book out to help be our reference (that was TOUGH to find!). I bought gardening gloves.
But. That didn’t fill the emptiness.
But yesterday, I figured out what I really needed (which I knew all along, really). I needed some genuine human connection. As someone who is extremely extroverted, I am recharged and refilled by people. After a long day, I want to go see my mom or go out to dinner with friends. That is what really makes me happy in my heart and soul. BUT. I cannot really have that right now. Instead of going out to see people, I wrote down a list of 7 people that I was going to reach out to by text or email to just share how they impacted my life, my gratitude towards them, and to make sure things were going well for them during this unprecedented time. Yesterday, I sent my first text. It was not a long text, but immediately after I sent it, the emptiness was gone. It didn’t matter what the person said back. It didn’t matter if I got to FaceTime them or see them in the grocery store 6 feet away. It was that I had a genuine connection during that time. That made me joyful.
How are you really doing? I hope that a lot of us are doing really well! I hope that you are coping and truly thriving during this time! But if you’re like me, and you’re struggling, soul search and reflect on what you NEED to make you joyful during this time. It might be a long walk. It might be a phone call with your momma. It might be a HouseParty conversation with 5 of your closest friends. It might be making a to do list every day. It might be cleaning and organizing your kitchen. There are so many things it can be. But do something that makes you joyful every day! Even when you’re not cooped up in your home during the stay at home orders. One idea I saw yesterday was to create a Wellness Calendar of daily activities to help change up the monotony of our lives right now. Check it out below!
Today's joy is up to you. What are you going to do today to not only make yourself joyful but also make a positive difference in the lives of others?
We’d love to hear what you are doing or going to do during this social distancing time to help yourself be joyful! Comment below, and please share Good Humans with Good Character with your family and loved ones.
Let’s make a positive difference in the world by being good humans with good character!
Love!
-Em
Comments