These Are Trying Times

By Susan M Vitale

These are trying times. These are unique times. These are times that provoke our worst selves, but ultimately require our very best ones to show up. We are being challenged in new and unexpected ways, being asked to rise each day to greet unknowns, manage growing fears, and somehow remember our connection and obligation to our fellow humans. What I see happening in this world, the astoundingly good and the undeniably ugly representations of who we are and who we have the potential to be, casts a spotlight on the difference between a collaborative nature and a competitive one and puts selfishness in sharp contrast to selflessness.

-When we place business-as-usual demands on the people who serve us, giving no thought to how they and their loved ones might be impacted by this calamity, are we collaborating or competing?

-When we judge our friends for the choices they make, no matter how they may appear at odds with social distancing expectations, is that our competitive or collaborative nature?

-When we buy every last roll of Charmin and can of Campbells off the shelf, without one thought for the person who walked in the store behind us, which are we doing…competing or collaborating?

-When we bemoan our own ill-fortune in the face of this crisis without asking how someone else is faring, or worse, take the “you think you have it bad” stance, what side of the coin are we on?

-When we take a cavalier attitude, extolling our youth or our super-human immune system, are we thinking collaboratively about the health of the people around us, or competitively about our own likelihood of surviving unharmed?

One of my favorite sayings, one that I am sure people around me get tired of hearing, is “Life is not a competitive sport.” There is nothing like the current crisis to test us and give our inner-collaborator a chance to show up and shine. Take a moment and see how you can move the needle from an assortment of “MEs” to a united “WE.”

I’d LOVE to hear your ideas. Here are a few of mine:

-Call someone who might feel scared or lonely in isolation

-Be the bright spot in someone’s day

-Be patient with everyone you speak with over the next several weeks. We are, all of us, adapting to a new normal and we all face different challenges

-Reach out to the people on the frontline – healthcare workers, first responders, and others – who are not adjusting to this crisis in the comfort of their homes

-Feed someone’s hope, not their fear

-Take care of your family’s needs without depriving others of their chance to do the same

-Stay home, not just because it’s good for you and your family, but because it protects the loved ones of your neighbors, your colleagues, and people you don’t know

-Help someone pay their bills if you are able, or donate to a fund that supports local, small businesses

-Order from local businesses

-Find a safe way to provide food or supplies to a shut-in neighbor or a family who relies on school for meals

-Know that we are all in this together, and no matter how much you’re struggling, someone out there has it harder

-Be flexible and patient as this new normal unfolds

-Practice more we, less me