Hi,
I'm not typically one to stock up on toilet paper etc. and assume that armageddon is among us.
I generally have a hunch that things always work out, and I don't easily feel worried. I probably learned this as a kid -- I was always the "steady one" in chaos or unpredictability. Been on mine own since I was kid...
I learned that I'd feel peace if I became it.
Yet...I was out of coffee beans, so I figured I'd grab a few cans of soup and maybe a frozen pizza while I was at the store.
You know, just in case...
I drove to my local Whole Foods, one of two in the city found a parking spot immediately (the lot is usually packed) and thought to myself, "See, there's nothing to be afraid of! Things are fine!"
I picked out a bouquet of exotic-looking flowers out front (Protea, I believe they're called) and strolled inside to grab my groceries.
Enter: disbelief.
From the entrance alone, I saw aisles of empty shelves. And as I walked around, the collective panic became clear.
- No canned anything.
- No frozen foods (I live in a largely health-conscious, vegan area and the only frozen foods left were chicken nuggets and beef patties. I found that fascinating and hilarious!).
- Many of the aisles were cleaned dry.
I could feel the sense of panic rising in my chest.
For whatever reason, food has always felt like "safety" to me, and seeing aisles of empty shelves triggered something deep inside me.
I thanked the grocery store worker for how hard he was working as he restocked bags of chips. He laughed, "As soon as I put it on the shelf, it's gone."
I could feel the emotion rising, but it was a jar of peanut butter that really did me in.
As I looked for my normal $4.99 jar, I realized it was sold out. Most peanut butters were, in fact, so I settled on an $8 peanut butter -- one of the few still available.
That's when the tears started, welling up.
The full eruption of sadness.
Upgrading to an $8 peanut butter was barely a thought for me as I leaned in to grab it, but what about the people who literally couldn't afford the $3 upgrade? What 'bout the homeless...
Thinking about that felt like an arrow in my heart.
As I clutched the jar, I thought about the single parents who rely on the availability of affordable options. What are they facing now, if all those options are sold out?
I thought about the elderly people who might feel terrified to even leave their homes -- deciding between cereal and safety.
I thought about myself as a kid eating 10-cent Top Ramen because that was all we could afford or a slice of pizza. What would we have eaten at a time like this if all the Top Ramen or Pizza was sold out?
And of course, I thought about all the other ways this virus was disrupting normality -- quarantines, schools closing, events canceled.
Coronavirus felt distant to me all this time. It was something I read about in the news, not something that affected me personally.
But if learning about my privilege has taught me anything, it's that things don't have to affect you personally for them to affect others deeply.
Suddenly, I could feel the collective pain it was causing. The worry, anxiety, and scarcity etc.
I'm typically the type of person to tell you to avoid bingeging on the news and giving into the global fear that this pandemic is causing -- to focus on your abundance instead of your lack.
But right now, I believe that if you're feeling pain, you should let it out. Let it go!
If you feel sad, cry.
If you feel unaffected, send love to the people who can't avoid the chaos.
If you feel angry, scream in your car.
If you want to laugh, laugh!
Many of us are taught to be steady in the storm, but when we never allow ourselves to feel, then our emotions get lodged inside.
You might be worried about how this will affect your business, your family, your health, everything.
This week, I'm going to be sharing some thoughts and advice for you about how you can manage your mindset and your business during this time of global fear.
Look out for more emails from me with mindset practices you can do when you feel the stress or panic creep in…
...As well as my suggestions about how to keep your business thriving when the world is in despair.
I'm here for you; we're in this together.
That's something else I realized when I was at Whole Foods:
Every other person there was going through the same thing. Like an inside joke that we're all a part of.
There are few other experiences that consciously unite the entire world at once.
As separate as we might think we are, it's humbling to be reminded of our infinite connection. <3
Sending you so much love and health,
Joao
~%Melyssa
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