I am paraphrasing President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s quote from his first inaugural address on March 4, 1933. In reference to the economic depression that he inherited, President Roosevelt stated, “…let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself…” That statement is applicable now.
For now, my workplace is staying open. It’s a place that hundreds of people visit daily. I’m not happy about that. However, I am not afraid for my own health. Fear is not going to help me nor my children. If we have to self-quarantine, we will deal with it.
My late grandmother Annie Lee Lighting used to say to me, “Baby, we is living in the end times. You say your prayers every night. You hear me?”
“Yes, Grandma. I hear you,” I would say.
It’s not the end times, but it damn sure feels like it.
Breathe. Turn off the news. Read a book. Play board games. Write what you are grateful for in a gratitude journal. Don’t read social media conspiracy theories. Go out in nature. Spend time with people you love.
It’s time to connect with loved ones. If there’s anything good about all this craziness is that we see how much we all need each other.
Let me know how the coronavirus has changed life in your city or at your job. (((hugs)))
What is the point of being blessed with talent if you don’t share it with anyone? What if God had created Earth, yet had no one to occupy it? Why have furniture if no one sits on it? What is the point of having musical talent if you won’t play in front of an audience?
Share your talents with the world. You have no idea whose day you will brighten by sharing your gifts.
“In the infinity of life where I am, all is perfect, whole, and complete. My unique creative talents and abilities flow through me and are expressed in deeply satisfying ways. There are people out there who are always looking for services. I am always in demand and can pick and choose what I want to do. I earn good money doing what satisfies me. My work is a joy and a pleasure. All is well in my world.”
– Louise Hay, You Can Heal Your Life
Thank you for reading this series about work. Please let me know if it helped change how you think about your job.
“……my therapist taught me, “Everything in moderation, except joy.” As I looked back over my life, I began to understand that my joy, indeed my very existence, depends on me inhaling goodness unapologetically.” – “Sharing ‘Good Vibes’ Only Can Save Your Life” by Danielle Young (link to full article below.)
I read that quote in the December 2019 issue of Essence magazine. I was reading the magazine at Firestone Auto Care while waiting for my car to be repaired after an unexpected breakdown. The column struck me so much that I took a picture of the above paragraph.
So how to inhale more goodness, more joy when the “dailyness” of life is wearing you down? Reading Mocha Angels 365 is always good! That Ms. Mocha Angel is on point! (HA HA!)
Doing things that bring you joy is key.
Enter ellieejay from the Pointless Overthinking blog. She wrote a post called “How to Love the Repetition of Life.” (link to full post below) Simple pleasures, with minimum effort and minimum cost, are the key the enjoying the repetition of life, says ellieejay. I’m down like four flat tires with her line of thinking.
The simplest of all my pleasures is singing. I sing all.the.time. Everywhere. Anywhere. Ask my kids. I dance too. I can’t dance worth snot, but I don’t care. Song and dance bring me joy. I can’t do either one of them too much.
How do you inhale goodness? What are your simple pleasures?
A follow-up to yesterday’s Day 31 “I change my mind today” post.
As Louise Hay says in her book You Can Heal Your Life, “I’m willing to change.” Willingness is the key. Being willing to go out of your comfort zone, willing to do and try new things, willing to feel uncomfortable, willing to look foolish…all those things are new and feel weird right?
It’s okay to be scared to try new things. Forming new thought patterns is difficult, yet not impossible. I know some of my readers in real life, and I know what their struggles are. Just keep saying “I’m willing to change” a million times until it feels true. Dip your baby toe in the water of new experiences and thoughts. You are breaking old thoughts and habits when you say you are willing to change. Y’all know what old patterns no longer serve you. Start with something small, not attached to a big emotion.
Be gentle with yourself. Take your time. Create small changes one thought at a time.
Ms. Mocha Angel 