A Cruise and a Virus

On March 6, my family flew to Puerto Rico for a day and half before heading out on a cruise to the Caribbean through Norwegian Cruise Lines.

In the time we were gone we slowly became of aware of what was happening with our family, friends, and co-workers back home. Because the internet was very slow, and hit or miss, we got little bits of information here and there. However, many messages would fail to send or would finally go through the following day so having a “conversation” through texts was very difficult. We were able to follow some news that was available on T.V. but we were still not completely aware of what was going in Las Vegas.

We were set to come home Sunday, March15, but our ship was not allowed to port in Puerto Rico. We continued to sail towards Florida not knowing if we would be quarantined there or have to stay on the ship for an extended period of time. Thankfully on Tuesday, March 17, we were able to port at Cape Canaveral, 45 minutes from Orlando Airport, and got home around 9:30 that night. It’s also the same night we found out that the following day all business would be closed for 30 days.

I don't think I need to go on about how terrible this all is and how it impacts our city (and every other state/province, city and town in the world). So instead I will tell you how I’ve dealt with it and what I am doing to help. Before anything else, I've allowed myself to feel all the feels of what is happening right now. I’m human and have emotions and bottling them up has never helped. This means giving myself a moment to grieve the current situation…it’s what I talked about in my first and second posts. But grieving doesn’t mean you unpack your bags and move into that space permanently…that’s not healthy or helpful. And so I began to make a conscious choice to find ways to uplift myself and my family and I encourage you to do the same.

1. Stay connected and see if anyone needs anything. I called/texted/emailed as many people as I could (family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, church family) to find out if they were all ok and needed anything. Whether it's food, supplies, or running errands, especially for the elderly people in our lives, making an effort in being helpful and generous goes a long way.

2. Help small businesses. I’m ordering meals from small businesses/shops to help support our community. I encourage you to do the same. For those of you who live in Las Vegas, go to vegas.eater.com to get a list of restaurants that deliver. However, the list is not complete so the best thing is to call around and find out if smaller places are still open in your area and order some meals. If you have enough food then share those meals with neighbors, friends, and the elderly that may need it. And if they happen to have enough then order anyway, at least one meal, and freeze it. Every little bit helps during this time.

3. Be kind. Please, please, please be kind and compassionate and patient with all people. This is a stressful time for all of us. Yelling, screaming profanities, complaining, and threatening individuals that work in stores about the lack of supplies or food does not help. It is mean and unnecessary. They are doing the best they can and spewing out filthy words and ugliness only brings more harm and keeps you locked in an unhealthy state of emotions and mind.

4. Stay healthy. I think we forgot that in order to help stop the spread of anything the first thing we should do is keep our immune system healthy by eating properly, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Right now is the perfect time to start changing those eating habits by increasing the number of vegetables and reducing the amount of sugar and processed foods, moving around more (there are plenty of videos that show you how to work out from home), and getting the sleep our bodies need.
   

So those are 4 small things we can do to help the community during this time…And here is a list of things I’m doing at home that you might find useful too:

1. Pray and continue "attending" church services and bible studies online. Prayer is so powerful and a way of connecting with God. During these stressful times the one thing we can depend on is God and the peace He can bring. We need to continue to search for, learn, and apply His word in our lives because one of the saddest parts in all of this is that congregations across the world are not meeting and worshipping. Please don't let this stop you from worshipping God or allow it to your break your faith. Search for congregations that are meeting online and if you're interested here is a link to the church we are watching online. Northwest Church of Christ in Minnesota with Andy Cantrell nwcocmn.org

2. Self Reflect. During times of conflict and stress, character is revealed. Use this time to dig deeply on how you handle situations, interact with others, and find out where your mindset is. Here is a quote from the book, "Creative Calling" by Chase Jarvis, "Mindset is the ground floor. The bedrock. The wrong foundation crumbles quickly when loaded with challenges and we can become trapped in the rubble. But the right foundation can support a rocket launch." I firmly believe that it's our positive daily habits that create that bedrock and firm foundation so that when challenges come our way we are better equipped mentally and emotionally to deal with what life throws at us. For myself, I can acknowledge that when I include a daily dose of scriptures, prayer, and Christ like behavior, It holds my day together in a way it normally wouldn't. And when challenges come my way, that same foundation is reinforced even more and guides me in behaving in a loving, patient, kind, and helpful way.

3. Clean and Declutter. Now is the best time to evaluate rooms in your home, declutter, disinfect, and get organized. Start making of list of small projects that need to be done around the house and use the time to spruce up your home.

4. Read and don't stop leaning. Use this time at home to catch up on books you've been wanting to read for enjoyment/learning or find tutorials on something you've always had an interest in and take up a new creative outlet/hobby. Here is a list of books that I'm reading (If you've already read these I have another list of motivational and uplifting books in my second post):

"On Mental Toughness" - Harvard Business Review

This book consists of 10 articles with lessons on how to build emotional and mental health and strength. I picked it up at the airport in Orlando and have two articles left. I'm reading it at a slower pace than usual so that I can really take the information in and get a chance to discuss the articles with Sean during our morning coffee.

“Everything is Figureoutable” - Marie Forleo

A great, great, great book on inspiring you to get moving into a new path in your life and teaching you how to train your brain to think in a more creative and positive way. Warning: there are a few bad words in the book so if that’s something you are very sensitive to then please let me know and I’ll be more than happy to go through the book and let you know which pages and paragraphs the words are on. That way you can have a friend black them out for you and you’ll be able to read the book…see! Just like Marie says, “Everything is figureoutable!”

“Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” - Samin Nosrat

Of all the cookbooks in all the worlds, both in space and earth, this is the one to own and learn from. Samin breaks down the science of cooking using those four elements and it makes it understandable and less intimidating. It’s like getting your own personal teacher guiding you and explaining everything to you. I really recommend getting the book, reading one section at a time and then watching the same section on her Netflix show “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”. Here’s the trailer for the show on Netflix

“The Tatooist of Auschwitz” - Heather Morris

Powerful, heartbreaking, and a reminder of the past.

1. And lastly, keep a sense of humor and don't forget to enjoy the simple things (even when your computer won't change the number .1 to .5 on your list no matter what you do so instead you feel grateful you even have a computer and let it go). I think it's so important to keep smiling and take the time to appreciate the little things. And if you can find a bit of humor or happiness that can bring out a smile or a laugh to someone, then share it.

So with that, I leave you with a picture from my trip. It is my tan leg compared to Sean's "tan" leg! This was taken the night before we disembarked after 10 days in the sun. He was so proud of his "tan"

-Diana

p.s. I think my leg looks like a hot dog! Or a sweet potato...or maybe I'm just hungry.