Are you looking for certainty in a global pandemic?

There may be trouble ahead.  Every day when I read the news, it’s the same thing: cases are on the rise, second waves and the threat of a new a local lockdown.  It’s easy to get caught up in the worry, the fear and the frustration.  I wonder, is it worth it?

Time will tell what happens next.  I don’t know.  Nobody knows.  What I do know is that any time I spend fretting and or getting annoyed is wasted energy.

I can’t control what happens in the world no more than you can.  That doesn’t mean that I am powerless.  Far from it!

You and I have the power to change some things and not others.  Yet too often I look at the news channels or go on social media in the hope that I’ll find better news.  It’s an attempt to find certainty, but the more I look, the less I see it.

It’s human to crave certainty in a crisis.  We want reassurance that it will be OK, and we look for signs as to when it will be over.  The trouble is that it isn’t there.  There is no certainty in a crisis.

What else is there?  What should we look for in a crisis?

A couple of months back, I went out for a meal with my family.  It was the first meal out since restaurants had re-opened.  The staff were great, and they made us feel welcome.  While we were there, we got chatting to the landlady, and she shared her story of how hard it had been.

They’d had no financial assistance, and for weeks and months, they didn’t know if they would survive.  They didn’t have the certainty, and this amazing lady didn’t give up.  Instead, she kept going, getting things ready for the day that she could open their doors once again.

Her courage and persistence inspired me.  She could have shut the doors for good, but she’d worked so hard to build up their business.  Her story gave me hope.

Hope is what we need in a crisis.  We find hope in people, those that keep going despite the challenges and the uncertainty.  Their stories show us what is possible, and they get you to think about what you can do.

Who inspires you?

Who gives you hope?  Could you spend some time with them?  Read about them or talk to them.  You may not find certainty, but you may find something better.  It will give you energy, instead of taking it away.

Take care