A few weeks ago I was rereading in my journal some of my entries written during the peak of the pandemic. I wondered on the page what things will look like on the “flattened curve”. Would there be a “flattened curve?” How will we know when this is all over? Will it ever really be over? I realized we will never be unable to “unsee” what has/is taking place. It is a strange and somedays unsettling place to be. There are things about this we have little control over. And, that is hard for some of us.

I realized I had been thinking a lot about my Granny, my maternal grandmother. I caught myself thinking about her strength and her faith. Her mother died when she was a little girl. She lived through the 1918 flu epidemic, through the depression, through world wars. She outlived 3 of her 4 children.

I wondered, “what would she be doing during this time?” Whatever it was…she would be singing. Maybe she would be baking yeast or cinnamon rolls, painting, or dusting…but she would be singing. She always sang.

Me, well, ask my kids…I can’t sing! But, I can put pen to paper and write. And, that is what keeps me grounded and calm.

Some prompts to consider:

What keeps you grounded when life feels “out of control?”

What settles you when you are unsettled? When life throws you unexpected unknowns?

How does writing/journaling reground you? Bring you back to center?