Reflect - past, present, and future - and Move On!

(Warning: religion is a topic, but more of an example and this can be used for other issues.)

Yesterday for the first time since early March I got to go to church; granted, we all wore masks, were socially distanced and nobody but the people up front sang.  But it was still church.  And I literally got to rub shoulders (healthy, yes) with a good friend I haven’t seen for three looong months. I was - and am - so very happy!

I am celebrating.

In Switzerland, though the residents must wear masks on public transport, things are lightening up and we are getting to experience what brings us more joy: celebrations are happening (for example religious services), weddings and outdoor fun activities.  

The government asks for discretion and logic (common sense).  For a bad example, there were young people at a club a week or so ago and now there are hundreds more covid cases. That was stupid.  What wasn’t stupid was a funeral in the forest, where people were outside and could distance themselves.

We re experiencing life again in Switzerland and it is oh so satisfying, even if it isn’t “back to normal”, it is good.  It is okay.

But first, before you can experience the joy and gratefulness, you may need to grieve still.

Grieve the losses:

In Switzerland, people can’t come here from a number of countries, including the US, without 10 days quarantine.  This means I have to give up my travel plans in September.

My husband and I also had plans to be in Thailand visiting friends RIGHT NOW which were cancelled.  We are still both grieving this fact.  There were several other activities and mini-trips (including a few days in Paris visiting my cousin and a dear friend) that got cancelled.  In essence, a lot of “life” was cancelled this spring:  Church, parties, weddings (some are still on hold for most friends), trips, conferences, visits… There is a lot to mourn, even if you didn’t (or friends and family didn’t) have the virus - or worse.  Take time and list your griefissues that you have to grieve.  You may want to write them down.  Cry a little; it’s good for you.

Then you can remember the good:

For us, life slowed way down.  The lockdown period had us all on a rather healthy rhythm of work and rest and fun- luckily we were about six people together, so we had our own community, which helps (I really feel for those who live alone, and even more so for those in unsafe environments!).

Learning and doing new things: We all in our little community took up new hobbies and learned new skills: whether it was cooking, making something, taking a course or reading many more books than normal, it was all good.

Milestones:

I still accomplished some important milestones:  I took my supervision exam online (in German) and passed so I am a certified Supervisor EASC and I got my hip replaced and am at the six-week post-op milestone, where I am walking (the dog) without crutches and maybe I can even drive soon.

What things have you accomplished either in spite of lockdown -, or because of it?

Finally, you can still look forward to the future with hope.

What are you hoping for and looking forward to?

I am looking forward to seeing more friends, to church services (even without singing and with masks), to a vacation in just ten days, to TeenStreet online from Aug. 4-8, and to starting a new semester of teaching business Communication and Negotiation, hopefully in person.  There is a hopeful future; look and see.

I wish you all the best for a great week of reflection and growth!

Patricia Jehle               patricia@jehle-coaching.com