First of all, my apologies for being at a loss for words. I have struggled with the idea of coming back into this space to write, to share, to expose myself and those thoughts that occupy my days and nights. I feel vastly under qualified to really share anything of value to anyone during this time so I have avoided this platform. Instead, I will share with you all what I have been able to do in my absence of writing this blog.

Our world has changed in terrible, frightening, and unexpected ways. We have all had to shift, balance, learn knew things, and figure our lives out as we go, from day to day.

My personal situation has not changed that much–at least not as much as many, many others. I have a day job that is considered to be “essential” and so with that and a stable and secure home life, we are able to continue paying our bills. I have not experienced the mental and emotional stress of being quarantined as we are fairly healthy and I am still required to commute to the office. I am beside myself every day at the disparity of resources and inequality experienced throughout our country and the world.

It is because of the differences in so many of our experiences that I feel an intense responsibility to watch the events happening around me. I check the numbers every day, the rise of those lives likely to be forever changed by this pandemic. I don’t want to lose sight for even one minute of the fact that those numbers are representative of people. I do not want to hide away in some bubble. I can’t just focus on the ways that all of this effects me and only me. If we are going to get through this, we have to do it together, as we are already in this together.

So while I do my best to STAY HOME as much as I can and stay informed just to maintain a clear and honest perspective I have also been equally compelled to stay connected as much as possible. My vocation, my passion, my meaning for being on this earth in this life is as a teacher. The moment we decided to close our doors at the studios in which I teach every week, the most important thing for me was to simply not disappear.

It has felt incredibly important for me to stay present and available for those students and clients who have given me the honor of being a guide on their journeys every week. As many of us have done, we have figured out new ways to use the technology available to us to stay connected, to reach out, to build a support system for those who may be in need while also creating a support system for ourselves.

What I have to offer may seem small in comparison to the gravity of our new and current reality. What I hope to inspire instead is that we all do our best with what we can and what we have to reach out to those around us whether within our homes or across the world. Let this be our new normal.

Whether on a small scale or large, from staying home and washing your hands, to donations of time, money, talent or resources that you can spare to simply taking the best care of yourself that you possibly can if that’s the most that you can manage right now…do that. Reach out if you need help and reach out if you can help. It matters because you matter…now and maybe more than ever before.