"Health might start in the body, but it extends way beyond the physical -- it's about your connections to the world and people around you and your ability to serve and give."
I'm so lucky to still have the ability to WFH Mon thru Fri and to connect with those I love on outdoor walks and via Zoom and FaceTime. But when someone told me how sad she'd been feeling and that her rabbi described it at "anticipatory grief," I recognized the heaviness in my chest and heart that leaves me with so little energy to perform the many tasks I could be doing here at home with all this free time, even painting. It's a form of depression that has me doing little but laying around in bed or on the couch watching TV or escaping into reading novels.
Humor helps and this is an example of what's being shared via email and social media.
But it's probably not healthy to pretend that I don't feel sad, in spite of all life's blessings today, as I anticipate a world in which all of us is likely to lose at least one dear one to this virus or maybe depart this life ourselves as a result of it.
Thankfully, our church - Sycamore Presbyterian - has been a great leader, solace, and comfort during this time, with virtual streaming and recorded worship services, a daily blog from the staff, and suggestions for safely helping others. The current circumstances don't prevent me from praying or reading the Bible. And I am a person who has always enjoyed solitary pursuits like painting, reading, listening to music, and watching TV. Although I will say it's different when those things are my choice and not "courses of last resort," which enables me to feel what elderly folks might when forced into assisted living or senior care rather than choosing it for themselves.
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