I was in a conversation the other day (social-distancing, of course) when a friend asked: "What do you love the most about this forced season of family togetherness?"
Another friend's reply brought something to the forefront of my mind that has stuck with me.
She replied: "Nothing, actually. My work, thank God, is stable and actually increasing to almost overwhelm, but everything else, all the fun I used to have in life that offset that overwhelm, is gone. Sure, I love my family, but we lost all the Senior year activities, all the soccer season and baseball seasons not only for the school year but most likely also for the whole summer. We've lost all 8th grade graduation and the family gathering we were supposed to have. In short I have all the blah of life and none of the fun."
I believe there are more like her than we are paying attention to.
We stand in support of health care workers and other front line workers, which is so good and wonderful, but the prevailing mentality is that this pandemic has brought the rest of us all time to pause and reflect on all we have and given us an opportunity to stop all our busyness and make a better life for ourselves.
But, for some, the busyness is not only still present, it's ramped up and all the fun that makes all that work worth the time and energy spent has been removed.
Think about that for a moment. Some of us are freaking out because we don't have enough to do, but there is a large group of others who are overwhelmed by having to do much more than they are used to with no outlet.
And, what's more, for some not only is it overwhelming, but the very motivation about the work they do is being sapped daily. This article gives a wonderful illustration about how motivation for ANY of us can be sapped, no matter how much (or how little ) we have to do
I don't have an answer for this. No 3-step process to work through, and I don't believe there is anything we can do to fix this for our friends, neighbors, and loved ones.
And yet, my heart longs to support, to encourage, to bring some fun back into the lives of those who are not having a season of forced rest like a lot of us.
If one of your friends, neighbors or family members is like my friend, reach out to them. Invite them to a Facetime/Zoom happy hour. Create a celebration for your kids... include them in what you're able to do for your kids because they may not have the time or energy to do it for themselves.
If you are one of those who are like my friend, please know we are quietly standing with you, wondering how we can help. Wondering how we can help to alleviate some of that overwhelm.
And when all this self-quarantine-social-distancing-life is past us and some fun can be re-built into our lives, let's all try to remember not ever to take for granted the value of fun in anyone's life.
Join the Conversation:
Are you one of the quiet few who are becoming overwhelmed but all work and no play? How can we encourage and support you?
Do you know someone who is one of the quiet few who are becoming overwhelmed but all work and no play? Share this post with them!