May 2020
What have the pros & cons of this quarantine been for you?
Stacia Horvath
If this occurred any sooner, I might have been stranded by the roadside. The timing is miraculous, as I have a sweet, safe space in which to quarantine. The cottage where I'm residing reminds me of my Grandmother 's house in Western Pennsylvania, which I've recently learned from a great documentary on hillbillies, qualifies as Appalachia.
My house hosts a large screen TV, running water, a flush toilet, a cozy fireplace, and gorgeous views from every window. I walk around feeling grateful & spend a lot of time with Mooji Baba, who encourages waking up from the dream of personhood. I also continue my devotion to A Course in Miracles, which I find very steadying & sustaining.
I have a full-on pink & blue facemask I wear to resupply & recycle, along with my gloves. Though it feels sort of awkward, there's a surreal/cinematic feel as well - an underlying serenity - like awakening from a dream.
John René Berard
“Sheltering in place,” I feel so blessed that my wife and I have shelter. Having volunteered on 2 of the last 3 missions in the Matamoros refugee camps at the Mexican border, doing holistic trauma support for the non-profit my wife founded, Casa des paz SLV, my heart just aches for those families living in tents on the sidewalks with dreams of a new life. Unfortunately, we now have created more walls blocking their needs and dreams. On a more positive note, I enjoy working on the ranch without distractions of gatherings or things I’d normally be doing, like skiing at Monarch. I’m spending more time training our ponies, making some real connection and progress, which feels great. Loving that I live in the Grants next to Nature Conservancy land where I can walk our dogs without being concerned about social distancing. This has also created new ways of deepening our connection with family. Our four kids and their spouses are spread throughout the country. However, we have celebrated two zoom birthday gatherings that would not have happened without this stay at home policy! As for cons of the quarantine, I know many are struggling financially. I’m blessed to work from home the past 6 years. I had to accept a pay cut due to the pandemic, but am still glad I’m able to work. I also truly miss meeting and hugging friends.
Allen Henderson
Well, the pros are getting to better myself. I'm getting a lot of little projects done, but the bigger projects take teamwork, so the con of not having the world opened up to help is a problem. Pros are understanding the value of eating better and how much cheaper it is to eat at home than eat out. But there are benefits to eating out for the social aspect. I'm realizing how much of a better world it is when everybody’s working and living together, helping each other and getting along. Now, I'm seeing a lot of people getting irritated and having conflicts and acting strange due to fear. But a lot of positives are gonna come from this. That's the pro. I'm sure there’ll be some negatives too, but we need to pay attention to the positives and really fixate on those, embrace and work on those and make them happen. A pro to this whole quarantine is realizing how much we don't have to do everything all day, every day. It's better for the environment if we do chill. Maybe a positive of this whole quarantine could be an annual vacation or meditation month to let the environment repair and to become more aware of people. So, those are futuristic pros. But yeah, quarantine's been alright. I have a lot to do, so I'm not really stressing it.
Shanti Dechen
I offer sincere condolences for this virus’ effects on people’s health and those who have lost loved ones or their jobs. I appreciate how this local community has come together to support each other, and have abundant gratitude for those working in healthcare, grocery stores, to-go restaurants, gas stations, post offices, and banks. It’s a mystery here in this valley since there’s no real testing going on. Many are probably carrying it at this point. Let’s take precautions to keep it from spreading any further.
I miss going to Hot Springs, out for dinner, and personal contact with others. Otherwise, my life is relatively similar, except I’ve added more stress reduction meditations, immune-stimulating foods, vitamins, herbal remedies, and aromatherapy blends to my daily protocol. When I moved here 11 years ago, I put my clinical aromatherapy school online, which has since gone international. The last few weeks have been busier for me; my students now have time to work on their lessons. I feel fortunate to be able to offer mentorship and healing guidance from afar.
Whatever we do while quarantining, may this make us more resilient moving forward. To me, it’s like being in a cocoon. As the weather warms here, may we be the radiant butterfly with a more profound and kinder awareness of our actions, thoughts, and words towards ourselves and others.
Allenda Dorrough
In this world of duality, for every negative aspect of Covid-19 there’s a hidden positive. It’s harrowing to hear stories of thousands of agonizing deaths where people are literally fighting just to breathe. Ironically, it’s caused me to be more mindful of my own breath, appreciating it as the very essence of life itself. Masks can be awkward and stuffy. However, it affords us the opportunity to communicate with one another through our eyes...proverbially, the windows of the soul. We're learning to smile with our eyes, since others aren’t able to see our smiles. It's heartbreaking to hear of people who are unable to work, struggling to pay bills and feed their families. Yet, as fewer people are out, I marvel at how quickly the planet is healing itself of polluted air, water and soil, while animals reclaim their natural habitats and numbers. I wince at travel restrictions causing millions to be homebound while the price of gasoline is incredibly low. Simultaneously, I marvel at having ample time to travel inward for contemplation and awakening. We now have time for reading, music, art, projects and one another as we figure out this new way of being. There’s less food, but more gardens, reconnecting our roots with those of the earth's. May we all take our seeds of today, plant them in the good earth...and GROW.