April 27, 2020

Pandemic Reflections #2

To Our Clients,

We continue this bi-monthly correspondence with a simple statement of gratitude to each of you.  We are grateful for your internal process that has allowed you to begin creating a new balance for yourself, factoring an unforeseen, undesired, and unchosen pandemic in the midst of life.  Who knew a short five weeks ago that our typical rhythm of life would be so rapidly and radically altered?  And isn't it remarkable that within that short period of time...only 35 days...so many of our everyday activities have pared down from many to a sparse few?  Our communications now centering around technological connections, our work as much as possible remotely conducted, our intimate ties fed by shared sentiment rather than engaged experience.  In only 35 days, life as we have known it has been reordered and we have continued to adapt to this new "normal."

How remarkable is the ultimate power of change we have collectively experienced....and even more so, how remarkable is the transformative ability of people impacted by that change!  These past five weeks, your shared stories have had some common themes emerge that bespeak of this transformative power within.  As you have referenced the slowing of the pace of your life brought by state and community safety policies, we have repeatedly heard deep gratitude for more "room to breathe."  In this newfound space, you are sharing a more intentional connection with yourself and with your intimate others.  One voice shared a story that well summarized what many of you have expressed.  She shared an emerging realization that over time she had "lost" her family. She recounted hours spent caring for them with provisions of a clean environment, preparing nutritious food, coordinating scheduling and transporting to and from participatory events.  She indicated that she had spent plenty of time "around" them but has grown to understand these past weeks that she has not truly experienced time being fully present "with" them.  They had shared the same space, the same events, relating more to a common activity rather than relating to one other.  This epiphany echoes one that we penned early in our Intentional Living mission statement of encouraging us all in our intimate other relationships to not just "experience life with each other, but rather to experience each other through life."

This season of altered pacing seems to have indeed provided a space in which the option to connect differently with one another has become more visible.  But the decision to avail yourselves to embrace the time with more talking, more listening, more experiencing of your cloistered time with yourself, with your spouse, and with your family has led to more experiencing of each other through this unique "now" of life.

A pandemic is here....we cannot change that....we have to deal with it...how can we then remain open to what may emerge from its visit in our midst?  You are listening well to yourself.  We look forward to hearing more of that growing wisdom within you. That is sacred territory indeed.

P.S. We realize that the impact of Covid-19 has affected each of you in numerous ways.  We would like to thank all of you who have been willing to adjust with us to a social distancing format of phone or video conferring for our sessions together.  We are very aware that for some of you the requirement to add home schooling tasks, or reduced work hours or furloughed jobs have asked you to reprioritize your financial demands and, consequently, you have been forced to suspend your therapy at this time.  Please know that we support you in determining what is best for you and your family, and we remain open to assist you in any way we can.  We remain available via phone or video while we await the safe return of our face-to-face meetings.  We will follow the guidelines set by our two local major health care systems regarding safe resumption of face-to-face therapy in our home-offices and we will notify you with a celebratory email when that day finally arrives!