There are a lot of hard things right now.
How are your hearts? Spring has sprung, and although we may be house-bound for our safety, we know that a warmer world is coming. Hope and renewal often dances in with spring, and right now, I hope that old girl has her best dancin’ shoes shined up.
Some of us are dealing with “too much”—kids, animals, spouses who blink too loudly, third grade curriculum that is inexplicably over our heads—while others are grappling with “too little,” a lack of human touch, financial loss, loneliness, grief, and fear.
Wherever you land on this spectrum, please know that it is okay. It’s more than okay. Perspective is a function of experience. My only hope in this crazy mess is that we honour it. We hold space for all those emotions. This is a time to slow down. The universe, the world is demanding it. Allow yourself to breathe, because we don’t have a script for this.
We have to acknowledge all we’ve lost if we ever want to fully shift into the hope and what we’ve gained. So many of us, or those we love, have lost jobs, graduations, playoff games, births that didn’t go as planned, funerals that didn’t have room for mourning, weddings that were celebrated alone. The ultimate loss of physical connection, the loss of life, where no one could walk them home, is the soul-crushing reality for too many. Feeling it is fucking awful. And it’s necessary.
If you need some help right now, we’ve compiled a list of numbers within Canada that are available 24/7.
- 811 for 24/7 Crisis Support
- 780-482-4357 for 24/7 Crisis Support Back-up
- 1-877-303-2642 for the 24/7 Mental Health Hotline
- 403-266-4357 for the 24/7 Calgary Distress Centre
- 1-833-303-2642 for 24/7 Canadian Suicide Prevention Services
Dial or text 211 for 24/7 non-crisis community information and referrals
We are in this together, my friends. We will survive this so much easier when we remember this: we are wired for connection.
