I Am Grateful

Hello, friends.

To say the world feels like it is falling apart would be an understatement for many of us. How often does literally the entire planet go through such an imminent and enormous challenge together?

With all of the acknowledgment I can offer of the immense and overwhelming struggles everyone is facing right now, I wanted to temporarily set aside my anxiety and compile a list of things for which I am immensely grateful in this moment. Some may resonate with you, some may really not resonate with you, but my hope is that we can all try to shift our mindset even slightly away from the panic briefly and to a perspective of gratitude and hope.
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Blessings in a Time of Uncertainty: I Am Grateful

• I am grateful for my family currently being safe and healthy.
• I am grateful that I have enough food and supplies to last me for some time.
• I am grateful that I am young and fairly healthy, and so hopefully less at risk for significant consequences, should I be exposed to this virus.
• I am grateful for my family and friends who were able to join as I helped lead virtual services last Shabbat through my internship.
• I am grateful for my friends who are able to balance sharing their own worries and helping care for mine. 
• I am grateful for the scientific advances of the past century that mean we can know that staying home right now and social distancing are ways to slow the spread of this disease.
• I am grateful for communications networks on a global scale that means we in the U.S. have some forewarning of what is to come.
• I am grateful for video chat services that mean I have video chatted with more friends and family in the past two weeks than I have in probably the past year.
• I am grateful that being alone does not have to mean being lonely.
• I am grateful that technology exists so that I can continue to do my work and schoolwork.
• I am grateful that my jobs are able to some extent to transition online and I do not need to worry about income during this event.
• I am grateful that the weather is getting warmer.
• I am grateful for flowers.
• I am grateful that my mother started encouraging me to buy extra supplies a few weeks ago so that it was a calmer experience than it could have been.
• I am grateful to have a car to make getting supplies easier at a time when it is best to avoid public transportation as much as possible.
• I am grateful to be here as an emerging baby rabbi so that I can learn how to better respond to those in need during a crisis.
• I am grateful for political leaders who are taking necessary bold actions to protect the public.
• I am grateful to take a break from driving to so many places as I usually have to do so much.
• I am grateful for the immensely holy work we are all doing now in tandem, by altering our lives so drastically now to save more lives later.
• I am grateful that the earth is getting a break from all sorts of things that negatively affect our environment.
• I am grateful for all the incredible souls who must go out now and continue to keep the world running at such a scary time--the grocery workers and the medical professionals and the delivery people and the farmers and all the amazing people who have to live in this anxiety and still function so that we can all live.
• I am grateful that we are all in this together.
• I am grateful.

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If the goal of multifaith work is to bring people together across lines of difference to increase understanding, respect, and peace, what better example do we have than the whole world banding together to protect each other in this time of desperate need? I try to draw inspiration from the enormous effort happening right now by folks of all backgrounds around the world, and let it carry me through the difficult moments.

May we all find strength in this time, find ways to build resilience of our minds and hearts, and know that we are stronger together.

Now go out and love one another (from a distance).

<3,
Allyson

So many flowers