Positive or Negative Positions

 Sunset Years we have and 

making the later years the best ever!

PANDEMIC POSITIVES: ARE THERE ANY?

Tanya Loretto wrote the following article for my blog.

No one will forget 2020, a year of a global pandemic, divisive politics, and racial awakenings. Thankfully the impending COVID-19 vaccines are lightening our spirits. Some may doubt the vaccination program efficacy, though. 

All of people have lost much this year. While each of us has our own unique experience of loss, no one has been unscathed. Some people have experienced huge losses — employment, loved ones, mental health, financial stability, and marriages, to name a few. But most of us have lost things that we wouldn’t necessarily consider serious. Small things that build 

build one upon the other; tiny losses that can drain us, as we adapt to the new realities of life. Grocery shopping, going to the doctor, connecting with friends, worshipping, and exercising now require conscious thought. No longer can we go through our days on automatic pilot.

For people in the sunset years, above age 60 , there are other new realities. We’ve had to face that we are in COVID’s vulnerable group. Perhaps our medical tests and/or procedures have been delayed. Some of us can’t hug our children, grandchildren, or other loved ones, or even see them in person. 🫂Hugs is a subtle therapy for holistic living. 

Many people in winter places who rely on traveling to warmer climates can’t do what they have previously relied on to stay physically and emotionally healthy.

It’s not easy to stay away from the news that constantly swirls around us. We want to stay informed and yet the headlines can make us anxious. News information about COVID is also shining light on some of our societal weaknesses and challenges — our reliance on alcohol and drugs to deal with stress, people being unsafe as they quarantine in their own homes, racialized groups being disproportionately affected by the disease, etcetera, etcetera.

Truly we are experiencing individual and collective grief. 

Adding to the losses are the realities of living in a time of uncertainty, confusion, and fear. We don’t know how this pandemic is going to unfold. When it will be over? Will our lives ever go back to normal? And what will the new normal look like? The invisibility of the virus and its effects make everything seem strange, perhaps even scary.

COVID-19 may sound terrible, and for some it has been. I am not disregarding its negative effects and I for one, who listens to people for a living, have experienced this secondarily through my clients. But at the risk of seeming to be Pollyannaish*, I would like to share what I have learned in this pandemic about the resiliency and creativity of human beings. (*adjective— belittling and often insulting term for being absurdly optimistic and good-hearted, believing in a good world where everything works out for the best all the time. Often in combination with being God-fearing and perceiving oneself standing on a higher moral ground than others.)

Many people have rediscovered or found the value of their own homes, neighbourhoods, towns, and provinces. They are seeing the beauty around them that had previously gone unnoticed during their busy pre-COVID lives. Squirrels, birds, trees and other parts of the natural world have become more important to them. Many are doing new things in their homes: exercising, dancing, painting, baking, and praying. They are more able to be alone with themselves. Some have put an emphasis on building deeper relationships with those they live with.

Many families have reworked weddings, birthdays, funerals and other significant life celebrations in imaginative, COVID preventive-friendly ways. And almost everyone has learned about Zoom and other internet platforms so they can connect with others and take online classes, workshops, and retreats. Some have even experienced Zoomfatigue.

But more importantly, I’d say my friends, and I along with them, have gained some COVID-based wisdom. Wisdom about how joy and sorrow are intertwined and are a part of everyday life.

 Wisdom about the world and its interconnectedness, the diversity and value of all people, and how each of us has a positive role to play in our own particular circumstances. The pandemic has helped us to see what’s important in life and stretched us to grow in compassion.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

If in reading this sharing, you feel a desire to reflect on your own pandemic-based wisdom, below is an exercise that might be of assistance.

In a quiet space, perhaps with a cup of tea or warm water, look back over 2020. Go month by month, remembering what you can. Afterwards, ask yourself the following questions. It can be helpful to write down your memories and responses.

What events/people/things from 2020 are you most grateful for?

What events/people/things from 2020 are you least grateful for?

What have you learned that you didn’t know at the beginning of 2020? Now we are at March 2022, another nine months to 2023. 

What has given you hope this year?

What have you learned about your ability to be creative and/or resilient this year?

What changes in your life do you want to hold onto when we go into our “new normal?”

What are you looking forward to?

我们拥有的日落岁月

 让晚年成为有史以来最好的！

 大流行的积极因素：有吗？

 Tanya Loretto 为我的读者写了以下文章。

 没有人会忘记 2020 年，这是全球大流行、分裂政治和种族觉醒的一年。 值得庆幸的是，即将推出的 COVID-19 疫苗让我们精神振奋。 不过，有些人可能会怀疑疫苗接种计划的有效性。

 今年所有人都损失了很多。 虽然我们每个人都有自己独特的失落经历，但没有人毫发无损。 有些人经历了巨大的损失——就业、亲人、心理健康、财务稳定和婚姻等等。 但是我们中的大多数人都失去了一些我们不一定认为严重的事情。 构建的小东西

 建立在另一个之上； 当我们适应新的生活现实时，可能会耗尽我们的微小损失。 杂货店购物、看医生、与朋友联系、敬拜和锻炼现在需要有意识的思考。 我们再也不能在自动驾驶上度过我们的日子了。

 对于60岁以上的日落年的人来说，还有其他新的现实。 我们不得不面对我们属于 COVID 的弱势群体。 也许我们的医学检查和/或程序被推迟了。 我们中的一些人无法拥抱我们的孩子、孙子或其他亲人，甚至无法亲自见到他们。  🫂拥抱是整体生活的一种微妙疗法。

 在冬季，许多依赖温暖气候旅行的人无法做他们以前依靠保持身心健康的事情。

 远离我们身边不断流传的新闻并不容易。 我们希望随时了解情况，但头条新闻会让我们感到焦虑。 有关 COVID 的新闻信息也揭示了我们的一些社会弱点和挑战——我们依赖酒精和药物来应对压力，人们在自己的家中隔离时不安全，种族群体受到疾病的严重影响等等， 等等。

 确实，我们正在经历个人和集体的悲痛。

 生活在一个充满不确定性、困惑和恐惧的时代的现实增加了损失。 我们不知道这种流行病将如何发展。 什么时候结束？ 我们的生活会恢复正常吗？ 新常态会是什么样子？ 病毒的不可见性及其影响使一切看起来都很奇怪，甚至可能令人恐惧。

 COVID-19 可能听起来很糟糕，对某些人来说确实如此。 我并没有忽视它的负面影响，作为一个以倾听人们为生的人，我通过我的客户第二次经历了这一点。 但是，冒着看起来像 Pollyannaish* 的风险，我想分享我在这场大流行中学到的关于人类的弹性和创造力的知识。  （*形容词 - 贬低和经常侮辱性的术语，表示荒谬的乐观和善良，相信一个美好的世界，一切都朝着最好的方向发展。通常与敬畏上帝和感知自己站在更高的道德上相结合 地面比其他人。）

 许多人重新发现或发现了自己的家园、社区、城镇和省份的价值。 他们看到了他们周围的美景，这些美景在他们忙碌的 COVID 前生活中以前被忽视了。 松鼠、鸟类、树木和自然界的其他部分对他们来说变得更加重要。 许多人在家中做新事物：锻炼、跳舞、绘画、烘焙和祈祷。 他们更能独处。 有些人强调与同住的人建立更深层次的关系。

 许多家庭以富有想象力的、对 COVID 预防友好的方式重新设计了婚礼、生日、葬礼和其他重要的生活庆祝活动。 几乎每个人都了解了 Zoom 和其他互联网平台，因此他们可以与他人联系并参加在线课程、研讨会和务虚会。 有些人甚至经历过变焦疲劳。

 但更重要的是，我想说我的朋友们，我和他们一起，已经获得了一些基于 COVID 的智慧。 关于快乐和悲伤如何交织在一起并成为日常生活一部分的智慧。

  对世界及其相互联系、所有人的多样性和价值以及我们每个人如何在我们自己的特定环境中发挥积极作用的智慧。 这场流行病帮助我们看到了生活中什么是重要的，并使我们在同情心中成长。

 个人反思

 如果在阅读此分享时，您希望反思自己的基于流行病的智慧，那么下面的练习可能会有所帮助。

 在一个安静的空间里，也许喝杯茶或温水，回顾一下 2020 年。月复一月，记住你能做的。 然后，问自己以下问题。 写下你的记忆和反应会很有帮助。

 你最感激 2020 年的哪些事件/人/事？

 你最不感激 2020 年的哪些事件/人物/事物？

 2020年初你学到了什么你不知道的事？ 现在是 2022 年 3 月，距离 2023 年还有 9 个月。

 今年是什么给了你希望？

 今年你对自己的创造力和/或复原力有什么了解？

 当我们进入“新常态”时，您希望在生活中保持哪些变化？

 你有什么期待？

Guest writer Tanya Loretto is a Spiritual Mentor within the Christian tradition but journeys with people of all faith traditions, as well as those with no religious affiliation. She has personal and professional experience in the areas of grief, neurological disability, mental illness, dementia, and addiction. 

客座作家 Tanya Loretto 是基督教传统中的精神导师，但与所有信仰传统的人以及没有宗教信仰的人一起旅行。 她在悲伤、神经残疾、精神疾病、痴呆和成瘾等领域拥有个人和专业经验。