As we all do our best to settle into these uncertain times, there are so many degrees of challenges. There are layers of circumstances, beginning with our physical health, the conditions of the most vulnerable in our families and communities, the medical professionals who are on the front-lines, and the essential workers who are right there with them. This is a painful moment in our collective history that, as the Governor of New York reminds us every day, will forge our individual and collective identities forever. It requires a response of incredible fortitude.
Through the overwhelming pain and sadness can come hope and optimism, joy and resolve, and strength. We can find love and support in each other. We can assess our situations and determine what condition we’re in to take care of ourselves, to take care of others, to help each other. Action may be in the deceptively simple form of staying-at-home, no easy task when families are confined to smaller space in urban areas and parents and children are both trying to accomplish their new daily lives. Learning how to manage these worlds, gracefully and awkwardly as my late mentor would often say, maybe one of the best things we can show our children during these tumultuous times. We can find solace in small actions that help each other.
I felt sick this week, nothing major luckily, and I was terrified. I was embarrassed at how scared I felt, hawking over my own symptoms moment-to-moment, my heart beating a mile-a-minute with the added anxiety of the incredible burden on my hometown NYC’s health care system. My best moments came when I was able to accept how I felt, to be mindful and be okay with what was happening. It helped me think clearer and be calmer about my decision making.
If we are fortunate enough to be in a position to help ourselves and our children right now, let’s continue to do our best to be mindful of it all. Through the storm of chaos, taking a deep breath to reset yourself could be a great example to show your children that it’s okay to be in a moment when the pressure is on. It’s okay to feel scared. It’s okay to feel brave. It’s okay to be unsure. And it’s okay to step back. If you’re in emergency mode and it’s not possible to do anything but survive, keep doing your best. Sometimes we have to fight to get out of the woods before we can be in a place to take our breath. But sometimes the woods is the battle, and a simple breath can show us the way.
Mindful Sports, like all youth programs, has paused all outdoor programming for the time being. We are doing our best to create online content for children with the hopes that it may be beneficial not only for kids but for families who may not have the luxury of school physical education. We’re launching an interactive exercise and mindfulness kids TV show on our YouTube channel for children in Kindergarten – 3rd Grade. We’re beta testing live exercise and mindfulness classes. We’re preparing baseball programming for 4th-8th graders.
At Mindful Sports, we’re all grateful that you entrust your children to us every day during the best of times. We want to be here with you and your families now too. We will get through this together, and we will be stronger for it.