Safety

What an interesting conversation that happened during the Zoom Happy Hour yesterday afternoon! It isn’t necessary to relay the specifics of the call except to say that some folks have very interesting ideas about the Corona Virus.

I am concerned about safety, mine and that of my family, colleagues, and students. I am taking every precaution I can think of to stay safe. I cover us all in prayer and hand sanitizer. I am also concerned about the idea of being safe in my thoughts and words. Too esoteric?

I have a very vivid imagination. I have sufficient insecurities that feed on this imagination. I not only have to guard against germs that could hurt me, I also have to guard against ideas that creep in when I am weak. I watched my friends on that Zoom call yesterday and I can see my own worries reflected in the glazed eyes, bent shoulders, and drawn faces. We are grieving for the loss of Normal. That grief settles like a heavy blanket which makes it hard to be positive in the face of new directives and the latest and greatest platforms, and yet another application to learn. THIS is where I need to be safe. I need to breathe. I need to sit with open hands as I learn how to navigate the Next. I need to guard against thoughts that slow me down…words that tangle others up…and facial expressions…oh, well, two out of three…I guess wearing a face mask will help with that last one.

I tell my students that excellence is what we should pursue, not perfection. I need to take a page out of that book and pin in to my shirt so that I can give that same Grace to myself. It will be crunchy until we all get the hang of it. I can’t possibly have it all together because I don’t know where I put half of it. I don’t have a problem telling my new students that I am confused, worried, clumsy…because I will also tell them that I am relentless, prayerful, and determined to “do the needful” to help them succeed. Maybe they can help me with this New-Fangled Techno-babble.

Symbiotic.