Staying Present While Staying at Home - A COVID-19 Quarantine Mantra

My use of #BeWhereYouAre is not a casual choice. It came from a revelation I had during the summer of 2018. My partner and I had just come home from an incredible weekend in the White Mountains of Vermont and we were experiencing that all-too-familiar ennui that arrives when you come down from the mountaintop - nothing at home can ever be as grand as those vistas, as exhilarating as the ascent, as satisfying as the beer at the end of the trail. But now that we were home, we made the most of the beautiful weather and took some books and blankets to a nearby park. Sprawled out on the grass, enjoying the sun and a moment of stillness, I realized that the best way to be content (particularly in a city that I have no enduring love for - sorry Nashville, but we’re not forever) was to find ways to explore and enjoy where I live with the same earnest pursuit of delight that I give to traveling - to really BE wherever I am.

One week before it all went sideways… // Joshua Tree NP

One week before it all went sideways… // Joshua Tree NP

How prescient that seems, now, as we are essentially sheltering in place and unable to hug our friends and neighbors in a time when we all could really use a hug. 

So I ask myself to BE here. 

BE in your living room - look around the room and remember how you came to have each piece in that space. How does it make you feel? (And if the answer is, “Well, not that great” or “Kinda meh” - this would be a great time to not have it in your house anymore! No need to hang out with things that don’t spark joy!) 

BE in your kitchen - consider the tools you use to prepare your meals, the ingredients you choose to use. Where did they come from? Who is your farmer? How can you appreciate the energy that went into bringing you the carefully packaged foods that we have stockpiled?

BE in whatever space you call your own. BEING there means mindfully and intentionally interacting with the things you have (ideally) mindfully and intentionally chosen to surround yourself with. If we can show care and affection for the hermit crab palaces we’ve built around ourselves, maybe that will make these weeks and months feel less oppressive, and maybe we can treat ourselves with the same care and affection.

Can you see through to the other side of things? Can you stay so present that it doesn’t matter?

Can you see through to the other side of things? Can you stay so present that it doesn’t matter?

Because, I have to remember, every moment is just that - temporal, fleeting. We are not guaranteed anything - not the big trip we had planned, or another roll of toilet paper, or even our next breath. Being totally present, not being anxious about tomorrow's news cycle or counting how many days have passed, will open the door to the bounty of where we are right this moment.

We're working on it. It takes practice. We've got time.

In the meantime - here are some resources that I have found useful:

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Callahan Woodbery