Just Be Kind

We’re starting to open up the Mountain. Welcome back to our summer visitors! The weather has warmed up, and my gardening friends are in full bore mode for planting, watering and playing in the mud. Children are outside, playing ball and delighting in our summer weather. Restaurants are opening. People are visiting each other from a safe space of six feet. Families are hiking and swimming. Life is opening up for this season. We’re living unstuck.

But 2020 will bring a different summer for us. A new way of doing life. Grocery shopping? Different. Washing your hands? All the time. Sanitizer at the ready? On every shelf, in the car, at the office.

One of the words to describe today’s world is uncertainty. And we have an inner controller that wants to fix things and establish a balance in life. The result is a shift into the limbic system of fight/flight/freeze. The mind gets fixated and obsessive, caught in the mental state of fearful anticipation. Muscles contract. Digestion gets upset. Tightness in the body leads to fatigue and exhaustion. In our distraught state, we judge others, directing them in the “right way” to do things— our way, for we think we know best.

Is there a way around this rigidity? To me, it’s the perspective of kindness. How to do this? Here are some suggestions from a post by a colleague of mine.

“You Do You. I’ll Do Me.

None of us have the same circumstances in life. Some have a medically high-risk child. Perhaps there’s an older family member in the home. Because of the Stay-At-Home directive, some may fear their business is about to go under. Tension abounds.

So, let’s all stay in our own lanes and let others do what they feel is right as we begin to reopen. No one should feel pressured either way.

Just a thought—There’s so much information on what to do and what not to do, it’s enough to make our heads spin. As leaders are trying to figure out how to ease back into what appears to be normal, remember:

• Some people don’t agree with things opening — Be Kind.
• Some people are still planning to stay at home — Be Kind.
• Some are still scared of getting the virus and a second wave happening — Be Kind.
• Some are sighing with relief to go back to work, knowing they may not lose their business or their home — Be Kind.
• Some are thankful they can have a surgery they have put off . . . That’s okay. Be Kind.
• Some will be able to attend interviews after weeks without a job . . . That’s okay. Be Kind.
• Some people will wear masks for weeks . . . That’s okay. Be Kind.
• Some people will rush out to get their hair or nails done . . . That’s okay. Be Kind.
• Everyone has a different point of view. Different feelings. Different perspectives. And that’s okay. Be Kind.

We each have a different story.

Let go of judgment of others. You’re not in their story. We are all in different mental states than we were months ago. Anxiety, depression and anger are ramped up to all time levels. But you don’t have to play a part in that scenario. You do you. I’ll do me.

So remember. Take a deep breath and “just be kind.” Live unstuck.