Lately it seems like my brain stays pretty flooded. You know, trying to figure out how to be all the things to all the people… How to be what those around me need, without forgetting how to be what I need for myself. Frankly it can be exhausting. And it’s so easy to suddenly find myself getting distracted and focusing on the wrong things. Prior to quarantine I was doing way too much of that.

But one gift from all of this (perhaps the only gift of all of this?) has been time. Prior to all this weirdness I had basically zero time. And I am a very minimalist person dedicated to not overcommitting, yet I found myself doing way too many things. ALL the things. Even at the beginning of quarantine I felt so busy. Most days I would check a ton of items off my to-do list, but still ended each day feeling behind.

But eventually the high that comes from that addictive rush of being productive wore off, and with no where to go and basically nothing to do, my perspective began to shift. I mean, yes, I’ve still had things to do. I'm still shooting for clients, running a small business, at some point the kids generally want to eat each day, etc. But this time has been a wonderful reminder that time is in fact, mine, and how I fill it is up to me.

So far I’ve been filling it with some amazing books and blogs, a couple of earth-shatteringly brilliant podcasts, and some soul-feeding conversation. And all of these have helped center me to the more meaningful pieces of life: love, compassion, acceptance, and seeking the wisdom needed to have at least some small positive impact on my world. If nothing else comes from this crazy time, I can at least say that it’s helped me remember to continually check in with myself and refocus on what matters.