Reflection: ‘ABC’ – All Be Closed. For many of us, that’s been the global theme song for spring 2020.

‘C’ (for Covid 19) also brought us Confined. Cancelled. Called off. Crossed out. Cut.

Everyday experiences that we’ve long taken for granted – meeting friends for coffee, enjoying a meal at a restaurant, sinking into our seats at a movie theatre – all gone! Conferences, concerts, graduations, weddings, festivals, sports, vacations – evaporated into thin air.

And as we learned from our early alphabet studies, ‘C’ is followed by ‘D’. Disappointment. Disillusion. Dejection. Despondence. Distress.

Coronavirus has turned our world upside down. And, all but the courageous providers of essential services, have sheltered in place as we do our best to stay well and minimize the risks.

In the midst of the quarantine, it seems that another ‘C’ – Creativity – is lifting us from the dust of shattered dreams.

• Friends click into zoom calls to celebrate birthdays, share games nights, and connect across the miles.
• Kids and grandkids share distanced visits from the sidewalk to the front step of their parents’ and grandparents’ homes.
• A family fetes their graduate with a made-at-home version of a Grade 12 Graduation: a dress up dinner, photos, and video tributes.
• A couple copes with their cancelled travel plans by re-reading daily journal entries from past adventures.
• Artists present virtual living room concerts and gallery shows to share their gifts from afar.
• Experts, teachers and clerics create online opportunities serving their clientele, students and congregations.
• Restaurants and shops introduce curb-side pick up and home delivery to maintain a business in the face of the shut down.

The list goes on.

Action: I’m thankful for the efforts of all who are doing their best to connect and contribute in the face of the quarantine.

They’re helping us move through ‘D’ for Despair to ‘E’ for Engaged. Enlivened. Enabled. Energized. Emboldened.

Sure, you might say, ‘It’s not the same!’ And you would be right about that.

But my own mantra to carry us through our current situation goes like this: ‘It’s less than ideal, but it’s something.’

For all the someones out there doing their best to create something – and you may well be one of them – I’m Forever Grateful.

And if you happen to be keeping track, that’s ‘F’ and ‘G’ moving us just a tad closer to ‘H’ for Hopeful and Happy.

Quotes Of The Week: It’s less than ideal, but it’s something. – Patricia Katz

Some of the best lessons come from a bad day and there’s a few we can learn from today. – Greg Chappell

The world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming. – Helen Keller

Never allow your own sorrow to absorb you, but seek out another to console, and you will find consolation. – J. C. Macaulay

Adversity is an opportunity for creativity, because it forces one to dig deeper and discover something new about oneself. – Paul TP Wong

To be successful we must live from our imaginations, not from our memories.- Steven Covey

Resources Of The Week: Deborah Connors reflects on Ten Gifts You Will Get From Being in Social Isolation.

Lately, I’ve been enjoying David Cain’s blog posts at Raptitude (Getting Better At Being Human). His latest post about the Kindness Economy suggests a way of being in the world that has a positive effect on others. You might enjoy his writing, too.

Pauseworks Studio Art News: A few years ago on one of our travels, I stumbled across this little Table For Two vignette on an early morning stroll past a Parisian bistro on Ile de la Cite (just around the corner from Notre Dame).

The café was not yet open for business; but the chairs and tables had been set out in prep for the day.

The scene struck me as a most inviting spot to share a coffee and a chat.

Watercolor and ink on stretched canvas. Size 11 x 14 inches. Original available.