Humility

Humility is the character trait for the month of April 2020. It is defined as putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve.  I am choosing to reflect on this word not only today but throughout the month of April given our current shelter in place status. We have been asked this week to continue the nationwide directive to slow the spread/practice social distancing for another 30 days.  Hearing that we have to continue to make these sacrifices for another month can be upsetting and discouraging for many of us.  There are families who may be separated right now, people who are facing financial crisis, and health care workers who are facing an increased demand on their time and their care.  It is hard for many of us to give up our daily freedoms along with many milestone events, some of which are once in a lifetime events (weddings, graduations, etc.). None of this is easy and people are feeling disappointment, sadness, anxiety, and fear.   Shifting our mindset from thinking of how this may be difficult for us to how our social distancing could help others is a way to build humility.  To flatten the curve on the spread of this disease, we are asked to give up the freedoms we enjoy to put the health and safety of others first.  We can look at this as a way to build humility if that is a trait that we are looking to grow. I challenge you to look for ways you can put others first right now – can you write letters to elderly who are isolated, can you call someone you haven’t heard from in a while, can you support local businesses who need your financial support right now, can you donate needed medical equipment to local hospitals, can you donate food to a family/shelter who might need meals?  It is easy to think of the things we are missing right now and feel sadness and anxiety about these changes.  Shifting our thinking towards helping others might give us a sense of purpose and accomplishment and in the end, will hopefully keep many others healthy and safe. 

My Reflections:

2 Challenges

• As the stay at home restrictions are continuing, my family and I are realizing that many events that we have been looking forward to are not going to happen (travel plans, parties, sporting seasons, etc.) and the disappointment has been tough.
• It is getting harder to not see our loved ones, along with friends and acquaintances.  I have a 96 year old grandmother who lives alone and the isolation she is feeling is overwhelming.  As much as we want to provide the social interaction that she needs, we know we can’t for her safety.

2 Positives

• Even though I can’t see my grandmother, I have been able to talk to her on the phone much more frequently now that I have less obligations and more time for connecting with others (virtually).  
• Watching the community response to people in need has been heartwarming.  There are so many ways we can help others right now. Here are some suggestions for the Philadelphia area:  https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/ways-to-help-during-coronavirus. There are also options locally https://www.chesco.org/4437/Coronavirus-COVID-19-How-to-Help

What can I do differently tomorrow to show humility?

• We have been able to support local businesses that are still open with curbside pickup/ local delivery and will use the list above for more places to support.  We are also planning to make cards for family and friends that we can’t see right now and mail those to our loved ones. 

Your Reflections:

2 Challenges

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2 Positives

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What can you do differently tomorrow to show humility?

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