Dear Loved Ones,

In the past few weeks, I have felt sad, scared, overwhelmed, and heartbroken. I’ve been pissed, frustrated, and totally freaked out. I’ve had moments of grief, moments of joy (shout out Simon & Memphis) and moments of I don’t even know what.  

About a week and a half ago, even with all of the tricks and tools I have cultivated over the years that help keep me in a positive headspace during tough times, I was at a loss. 

From the unbelievable disappointment I feel about my country’s president, to the despair I feel over how much deadlier this virus will be for my country’s most vulnerable citizens, to the strangeness we all feel as we navigate isolation and physical distancing - I just kept thinking to myself, what kind of hell is this? 

While at the bottom of this low point, I was scrolling through the internet and I randomly saw a quote from Steve Harvey (putting a spin on an old Winston Churchill saying) that said, 

“If you are going through hell, keep going. Why would you stop in hell?”  

Wheeeeeewwwww! When I tell you, those words hit me…I mean it! It really is wild how the right message, at the right time, can completely shift you mentally and spiritually.

I instantly realized that I had stopped in hell.  I’d forgotten to keep going. I’d forgotten that I have the power to keep going. 

I immediately took a breath and remembered the mantra:

Can I breathe through this? Yes. I can.

I also remembered that this time is something we are living through, not living in. The current state of the world is not the permanent state of the world. And our worst day is not our whole life. 

I took another breath.

Can I breathe through this? Yes. I can.

Can I keep going? Yes. I can. 

Yes, I can. I can breathe through this and I can keep going.

I still worry. I still feel sad and scared at times. And I don’t completely ignore those emotions when they come over me, but I have stopped sitting in them. I have stopped stopping in hell. 

Doing this doesn’t change what’s happening in our world, but it has begun to give me the strength and clarity I need to be as helpful and hopeful as I can possibly be during these times. 

If you feel like you're going through hell right now, please know that you don't have to stay there. Keep going.  One step at a time. One day at a time. We will get through this.