The lockdowns will lift, likely soon. If they do, be patient. Don’t rush out to find normal. It’s not there. The virus still roams free. That means you shouldn’t. I won’t be seeing my mom, telling her it’s ok to go back to church. It’s not. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be optimistic. We…More
Tag Archives: lifelessons
Feel Connected
Be the first to initiate, text, call, zoom. Just because you’re in isolation doesn’t mean you need to be isolated. You can be connected, connecting, loved, loving. Reach out to your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors. Ask them how they’re doing. Wish them well. And the loneliness you feel will somehow feel far less lonely. You’ll…More
Three Ways to Improve Your Life, Even Now
You can improve your life, even in this pandemic. I’m not saying life’s ok. It’s not. We’ve lost much. Even with all of that, you can continue to grow, learn, rise. Here are three ways. Work Better We can all work, even if you’ve lost a job. Unemployment isn’t the end of the world.…More
The Greatest New Normal
Going to the grocery store looking like you’re about to rob the place or give someone an enema is the new normal. If you had told me two months ago that my family and I would be doing that and washing all of our food and packages before we put them away and sanitizing our…More
Grow today
Just because a pandemic is driving us all crazy doesn’t mean you can’t grow today. Try something new: Learn a new language, an unfamiliar musical instrument, paint a painting, write poetry, code, cook a strange dish, blog. Anything. Yes, it will make you feel like you have a dunce hat on, unsure of yourself, a…More
Unlearn yourself
You’re not stuck; you just haven’t learned to unlearn yourself. That phrase, “unlearn yourself,” is powerful because it unlocks the potential we all have within us. And it reframes the stories we tell ourselves that hold us back. Our stories define us. And those definitions often trap us. They’re a cage of assumptions and ideas…More
We could have been homeless—A story
It was the end of February, and I was scared. Something was going on in China. It was shrouded and strange but scary. People were getting sick, and many were dying, and it was growing at an alarming rate. I started to suspect that it was already in NYC. “I mean, how could it not…More
Have hope
Everything is in flux. The future is unclear, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have hope. Yes, a virus is ravaging our world, our countries, our neighborhoods, our lives. Fear is everywhere. Last week, I saw a woman open the door with one hand and the other one looked like it was cupping something small…More
Just survive
Thriving is great, but sometimes surviving is the best you can do. Because, you know, life gets crazy. Jobs get lost, companies go out of business, relationships break, people leave us, we get sick—pandemics happen: crazy: Those are the moments that aren’t controllable and cause us great pain. Right now, the world can feel like…More
Get things done when working from home (even with kids)
Working from home can sound fantastic, with all of that freedom and no commute, but it’s not always easy. Sometimes it can feel impossible. But it’s not. Yes, you get to roll out of bed and be at your desk in a couple of steps without even needing to put a shred of clothing on…More
John Pa 