Give Me Lemons and I Am Going to Make a Gin & Tonic

When faced with what is going on in the world, with each day becoming more like we all are living in a twilight zone, I have choices to make. I can get sulky, moody, antsy, depressed, and just plain miserable OR I can make something good come out of it. The Coronavirus is out of my control. It is here. It is everywhere. It is my belief that if we wash, sanitize, and stay out of large crowded areas which will reduce the chance of infection, at some point we will overcome this too. Most places are taking appropriate action. Then there are others who are taking an arrogant attitude, basically to make money off of this dangerous situation. I believe these organizations  will all be mandated to shut down. All I can say is shame on them! There is no difference in these people who refuse to close up large venues as it is to those who are just plain outright hoarding and then reselling at outrageous prices.

Just writing this to share my plans and what some others may want to use during this "hunkering down time" by doing something constructive. I am planning on setting up my dreams and vision for where I am headed in my future. If I continue to do the same thing over and over, I will get the same results. Not that I am unhappy with most of my results. I just feel that there is always room for improvement.

I (we) can't avoid all of the twists and turns that life will bring in the weeks or months ahead, however I don't have to just drift aimlessly. For me, it is time to have a new plan.

It starts with having a dream. Actually a daydream.

Talking to myself about where I want to be at the end of the year or even at the end of the decade allows me to see what is most important in my life; where my passion truly is and what it is all about.

Once I have that set in my daydream, I need to plan a vision with goals to reach that daydream. It is a matter of giving myself powerful imagery to help change MY world, not THE world. I need to actually see that vision before my eyes. There are several ways to do this for myself. I am the Post-it Note Queen. I leave them everywhere for myself.

The notes can be my word for my goal. (which happens to be BELIEVE) Or I write quotes that mean something to me in order to achieve what I need to be able to get where I want to be. One of my favorites is a C.S. Lewis quote, "There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." This one is very powerful to me and I hold it deep in my heart.

The next visual reminder is to actually make a Vision Board for myself.  This has cut out pictures or phrasing that helps to steer me in the direction that I wish to go.

Following some kind of routine without getting too mundane, having a variety of music playing all around me, practicing meditation, and setting small achievable goals daily, weekly and even monthly all feed into this vision. Major alert here: I work hard at not beating myself up if I miss a goal. It is simply a matter of resetting and trying to make more attainable goals, not too overwhelming.

It is important to get the sleep, the stretching exercises and the healthy life style of eating that I need in order to keep my energy levels where they need to be. 

There are hundreds of thousands of children home and off school with this viris epidemic going on. I saw a suggested routine schedule that parents can use and adapt it to what their family needs. Most importantly, it helps our children with routines.

8-9       Wake up, dress and have breakfast
9-9:30  Morning walk or yoga
9:30-11 Academics - no electronics only flashcards, workbooks, study guides, journaling, etc.
11-12    Creative time - legos, drawing, painting, cooking, music, dancing
12-12:30Lunch
12:30    Chores - clean up dishes, table and sanitize kitchen and bathrooms 
1-2       Quiet Time - reading, puzzles or napping
2-4       Academics - electronics such as Ipad educational games, educational tv and shows
4          Afternoon walk or biking
5          Dinner
6-8       Free tv time with taking turns in the shower
8-9       Bedtime with reading 

From all of my years as a parent and then as a teacher and administrator, I have learned that it is always good to keep children on some sort of routine. Yes, we all need a break now and then. That is what the weekends and holidays are for. All in all, with no schools in session, we as parents must work on making the best of it. Have movie and game nights with popcorn. 

I plan on using this time as a special treat instead of feeling trapped. I hope that all of you do too. These are not ordinary times and despite all of the pessimists out there, this too shall end. We just don't know when, so meanwhile we need to work on our gin & tonics.