“Just like the lotus we too have the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of darkness, and radiate into the world.” Unknown Author

Maybe this is the universe’s way of telling us to slow down. Maybe this is the universe telling us that we don’t have all the answers.

Today we can order just about anything we want and have it delivered to our door in 2 days. We can have someone shop for our groceries on our phone and have them put in our car on our way home from work. We get answers immediately from our phones and computers. A lot of us have forgotten what being bored feels like. Everyone’s lives are scheduled to a t. Too often i read a txt message and forget to respond till a day later bc I am multi tasking or moving from one thing to the next.

The Corona Virus is telling us to slow down. It is telling us to social distance and just be. It is reminding us that we don’t have all the answers, we can’t plan everything, and what is important. So many hard decisions are being made about the unknown. I believe the ultimate goal is to protect us from the the unknown, or impending doom and be proactive rather than making a mistake and having regret about what we could have done.

As a teacher of tiny humans, someone who loves my grandparents, and has lost a mother to disease, I can tell you that I do not want to share and spread germs . In my classroom each day I see 7-8 classes of students ranging from the ages of 2 1/2-12….. and there are SOOOOO many germs. Kids love to pick their noses, lick their hands, touch their mouths, face, feet, floor, put shoes in their mouth (yes shoes, I have literally had to say, “please don’t chew on your shoe it is full of germs”), put markers and legos in their mouths, and touch each other. Animal noises often fling spit and bodily fluids into the air… and they are still learning how to cover up while they cough and sneeze. I am not necessarily fearful for myself but i do consider the impact of all of us being together and then taking germs home to our loved ones who are older and people who have an underlying medical conditions. If this was last year and I was taking care of my mom with stage 4 cancer I am not sure what I could have done… surely i would have had to stop working and not risk bringing home any silent and sneaky corona virus germs from school. From articles I have read about the tough decisions that medical professionals are making in Italy I am hopeful we can avoid having to choose who to treat… or that I can at least avoid being a part of the spread of germs.

Today I learned that we will be taking a break from school… I know what a tough decision this was for our leaders… but I believe in my heart that we all need to slow down. I cried in a coffee shop when I got the call. I am happy we are being proactive. I am sad to not be with my students. My heart goes out to everyone impacted by the current situation. I cried for my students from homes that have families that are abusive or don’t have the means to care for their own children. I cried for the parents who have to figure out child care. I cried for the people who are going without pay or who's business are suffering. I am sad that my plans for a “10th Annual Art Show” won’t be as big and beautiful as I had imagined. I wonder what will happen with all the awesome Square 1 Art projects we have been working on and are not quite ready to send out. BUT I hope that this allows us to not have as many deaths and reduce the spread of the disease. As hard as it will be to shut down our school and possibly communities it is better than saying good bye to loved ones. What if our kids brought home the virus and they were left with no care. So many students live with grandparents today. I am happy that we are learning from other countries as the disease creeps into our country.

As of now, I am going to play it by ear with teaching regular yoga classes and work with my studio owners to do what is best for everyone. In this stressful time of the unknown I want to provide a way to destress and go within… and maybe build our immune systems a bit. If it gets to a point where we can’t practice at the studio I will post you tube videos for you to do from the comfort of your home if you should so choose.

The universe is telling us to slow down. Like it or not this global pandemic is pushing us outside of our comfort zones and we are faced with something we have never experienced in our lives. Grocery stores are overwhelming and the gravity of the situation feels very real when you go to the store. Slow down. Take care of yourself. Go within, stay in, be kind, compassionate, understanding, and go with the flow. We do not have all the answers. I know from living through my mom’s cancer and eventual death that things can be awful, unknown, and beyond shitty and some amazing, beautiful, and awesome things can come from it. Choose to be the light. “Just like the lotus we too have the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of darkness, and radiate into the world.” Unknown Author

Kimberly WeberMarch 15, 2020