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Life, the Universe, and Everything*
Musings from Linda / LUE-42 Enterprises
Issue #110, April 2020
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Used with the generous permission of artist
Anusha VR
@the.avr.method
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Maybe all you need this month is a forehead kiss. If so, stop reading now. No offense taken. For most of March, it's all I really wanted too. I've got you.
But if you're looking for a distraction, here is what's been going on with me. I started my month in Golden, just wishing I could have another day. When I checked out I was told that a rock slide had closed the highway both directions. My first thought was, "Wow, I am powerful!" (which is true). But was it the right thing to hope for? So I went for a relaxing breakfast and decided to take a different highway out of town. I'd never been on Hwy 93 and although the drive was longer, it was beautiful and clear. That felt like a better decision.
Back in Edmonton, thanks to a bright young dude at the Microsoft store, I finally embraced "the cloud." Seriously, I've been scared spitless of the cloud so this was big for me (and amusing to him). I feel all grown up now.
I also immersed myself in rehearsals (when I wasn't at Rock Bingo or a
Beerfest in Calgary). As you know, I was involved in 3 new plays that were to appear in 2 festivals. The news was just starting to get scary as we departed for the Canmore festival. En route to pick up our actors, two had colds and opted to stay home. No worries. We agreed that instead of performing our plays we'd do staged readings, with my director and I reading those roles. We had a nice drive, checked into our Air B&B, and did a quick tech rehearsal before the festival kicked off. As expected, the audience was small. Just as well, as if I'm on the stage instead of behind it, you're not getting the best! The next morning, the rest of the festival got cancelled. We opted to enjoy the mountains for another day, which was great because we would need our energy soon enough.
You all know what happened next. The festival the following weekend was also cancelled, social isolation kicked in, grocery shelves cleared, new contracts didn't get signed and signed contracts got cancelled, and all the news got very dark. Friends went into hospital and mercifully, friends got out of hospital. We found new heros in unexpected places.
Lent got easy because I had given up thrift store shopping (they all closed) and speeding (I don't have to be anywhere). I guess that brings us up to date.
Here's a plus: I
f you are a member of professional association, now is a great time to complete and log your continuing professional development hours. There are so many webinars, courses, and interesting formats to help you meet your requirements. Get creative!
"April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain." -- T.S. Eliot
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Question: Can we just take a month off from thinking about boards?
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ANSWER: Sure, but know that your Executive Director probably isn't and your members and/or the people who rely on your organization aren't.
Seriously, it's okay to take a breath. Mind your own physical, mental, and spiritual health. If it takes a month, so be it. Get support and be supportive of others. Get centred, reset, then get back to it. I am confident there is a "win" in this for all of us.
Of course, some believe boards (particularly corporate boards) will get blamed for what happens next in our companies and organizations. Check out this article from
Forbes
. Good luck.
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APRIL 2020 OBSERVANCES AND OCCASIONS
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Shout Out
to s
ome people who made my life better in March:
MaryJane Alanko, Liz Allison Jorde, Patrick Binns, Pat Bragg, Shelley Carmichael Silins, David Cheoros, Dave Clarke, Melanie Desroches, Brian Edwards, Liz Garratt, Neil Grahn, Helena Hill, Leah Iszakovits, Roy Jackson, Mary Jane James, Janna Jorgensen, Devin Laforce, Lynn MacAskill, Doug Macnamara, Gerry McCauley, Toomas Meema, Matt Mihiliwicz, Priya Narine, Andy Northrup, Gerald Osborn, Mary Ellen Perley, Paul Rechner, Lori Schmidt, Mary-Anne Trann, Louis Yu Tim Lun
"Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."
-- Mark Twain
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Wish I'd Said That
"Autism...offers a chance for us to glimpse an awe-filled vision of the world that might otherwise pass us by."
-- Dr. Colin Zimbleman Ph.D.
"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers."
-- Voltaire
"Hollandaise, I would like to pour over my head and just rub all over myself. Eggs Benedict is genius. It's eggs covered in eggs." -- Wylie Dufresne
"I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use."
-- Mother Teresa
"I put up my thumb and it blotted out the planet Earth." -- Neil Armstrong
"I auditioned for 'Cats' -- I didn't sing but I was able to cough up a hairball." -- Stephanie Miller
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Reduce Anxiety and Stress
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Referencing the National Institute of Health, professional speaker Linda Edgecombe recently blogged "16 Simple Ways to Reduce Stress and Anxiety During Covid 19." Here's a summary.
- Exercise. Regular exercise can help lower stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins and improving your sleep and self-image.
- Consider Supplements. Certain supplements can reduce stress and anxiety.
- Light a Candle. Aromatherapy can help lower anxiety and stress. Light a candle or use essential oils to benefit from calming scents.
- Reduce Your Caffeine Intake. High quantities of caffeine can increase stress and anxiety. However, people's sensitivity to caffeine can vary greatly.
- Write It Down. Keeping a journal can help relieve stress and anxiety, especially if you focus on the positive.
- Chew Gum. According to several studies, chewing gum may help you relax. It may also promote wellbeing and reduce stress.
- Spend Time With Friends and Family and Practice Social Distancing. Having strong social ties may help you get through stressful times and lower your risk of anxiety.
- Laugh. Find the humor in everyday life, spend time with funny friends or watch a comedy show to help relieve stress.
- Learn to Say No. Try not to take on more than you can handle. Saying no is one way to control your stressors.
- Learn to Avoid Procrastination. Prioritize what needs to get done and make time for it. Staying on top of your to-do list can help ward off procrastination-related stress.
- Take a Yoga Class. Yoga is widely used for stress reduction. It may help lower stress hormone levels and blood pressure.
- Practice Mindfulness. Mindfulness practices can help lower symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- Cuddle. Positive touch from cuddling, hugging, kissing, and sex may help lower stress by releasing oxytocin and lowering blood pressure.
- Listen to Soothing Music. Listening to music you like can be a good way to relieve stress.
- Deep Breathing. Deep breathing activates the relaxation response. Multiple methods can help you learn how to breathe deeply.
- Spend Time With Your Pet. Spending time with your pet is a relaxing, enjoyable way to reduce stress.
Bottom Line:
Although stress and anxiety may arise in your workplace and personal life, there are many simple ways to reduce the pressure you feel. These tips often involve getting your mind away from the source of stress.
Here is the blog.
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A LETTER FROM F. SCOTT FITZGERALD,
QUARANTINED IN 1920 IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE DURING THE SPANISH INFLUENZA OUTBREAK
Dearest Rosemary,
It was a limpid dreary day, hung as in a basket from a single dull star. I thank you for your letter. Outside, I perceive what may be a collection of fallen leaves tussling against a trash can. It rings like jazz to my ears. The streets are that empty. It seems as though the bulk of the city has retreated to their quarters, rightfully so. At this time, it seems very poignant to avoid all public spaces. Even the bars, as I told Hemingway, but to that, he punched me in the stomach, to which I asked if he had washed his hands. He hadn't. He is much the denier, that one. Why, he considers the virus to be just influenza. I'm curious of his sources. The officials have alerted us to ensure we have a month's worth of necessities. Zelda and I have stocked up on red wine, whiskey, rum, vermouth, absinthe, white wine, sherry, gin, and lord, if we need it, brandy. Please pray for us. You should see the square, oh, it is terrible. I weep for the damned eventualities this future brings. The long afternoons rolling forward slowly on the ever-slick bottomless highball. Z. says it's no excuse to drink, but I just can't seem to steady my hand. In the distance, from my brooding perch, the shoreline is cloaked in a dull haze where I can discern an unremitting penance that has been heading this way for a long, long while. And yet, amongst the cracked cloudline of an evening's cast, I focus on a single strain of light, calling me forth to believe in a better morrow.
Faithfully yours,
F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Like mine, your inbox is inundated with every company's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. I'm grateful that others are trying to sort through the info and implications, but to be sane I've had to turn off the volume on my smart phone. It's.Just.Too.Much.
But there is another perspective. My 99 year old friend called in a panic. She is a shut-in who lives with her daughter, but her daughter was in Mexico. The two home care workers who had been helping my friend refused to come any more (her outrage second only to no more Oilers hockey). My friend does not do social media and she is addicted to American news broadcasts, so the limited information she was getting was jumbled and terrifying. She needed to know what would happen when her daughter came home the next day. I told her the protocols. But what if her daughter didn't want to follow the protocols? I couldn't imagine that, but it's a fair question. My friend had called several offices/agencies but, as you can imagine, she could not get through.
You and I can find out anything, any time we want
(and some of it is even true)
. But when you don't have easy and immediate connection, the silence can be frightening. My advice to my friend was watch Canadian news, and preferably local news. It is so much better to know what to do in your own community. And listen to the health experts more than the politicians (although even they are stepping up).
Can you find a few minutes to reach out to someone who isn't as connected as we are -- the elderly, the homeless, the new Canadian? They might be scared but even if not, they may welcome a friendly voice.
Now is literally the first time I have been grateful that my mom isn't alive. If she were here and I wasn't allowed to visit and witness her delight at kicking my butt in cribbage it would be sad indeed. Treasure those you love, even if it's from a distance.
"In prehistoric times, mankind often had only two choices in crisis situations: fight or flee. In modern times, humor offers us a third alternative; fight, flee - or laugh."
--
Robert Orben
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."
--
Abraham Lincoln
"Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out."
-- Anton Chekhov
LUE-42 Enterprises #StayHome #BeKiind
* with fond acknowledge to Douglas Adams and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
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