Am I capable of 5 seconds of extraordinary courage right now?
That’s the question Drew Dudley asks himself every single day. I recently read this in his book for a leadership course I’m in for my day job. Today, for me, it means something entirely different than it did last week.
Today it means…… not taking the last roll of toilet paper off the shelf when you have a stock pile at home. Our human instincts for survival are being put to the test and we can resist! It saves your neighbor who has 3 kids at home from making another trip to the grocery later.
It means…..staying home and not traveling even if you are not listed as vulnerable by the CDC. This is greater than all of us and you will never know the life you saved by staying home. Our co-op is planning our first video call today to hold our monthly meeting. If us farmers can do it, anyone can!
Today it means….reaching out to a friend that…..had to cancel that wedding, baby shower, bridal shower, birthday party, etc. Find a creative way to celebrate whether it’s by streaming the wedding in their living room, or send gifts to their house and FaceTime while they open them. Precious moments don’t have to stop!
It means….reaching out to your grandparents to see if they need anything so they don’t have to wander out. Or, calling for a check up just to make their day.
Today it means….reaching out to your friends who are parents, stuck at home with their restless children, quickly running out of activities to keep them busy. If you have free time, do some research or Pinterest activities to try at home and send them their way. They will be eternally grateful.
It means…reaching out to help your friends who are out of work for an undetermined amount of time and seeing if you can help in any way. I know I plan to get carry out at our local restaurants to help them keep income coming in. You could also anonymously send gift cards for groceries, or call the utility company and pay a monthly bill or two, if you are able to. If they aren’t tech savvy, even helping your loved ones apply for unemployment would be a life saver.
Today it means…sharing words of encouragement on social media so that others can get through this darkness. Facetime your friends! We need to see each other’s faces. Social distancing doesn’t mean emotional distancing.
We are all scared. This whole thing seems so surreal. Being brave may seem hard, but if you take it day by day, it doesn’t seem so unattainable. Remember, the only requirements for the question “Am I capable of 5 seconds of extraordinary courage right now” are that it is immediate and short lived. We are all capable of this.
Not too long ago I told someone that my generation has never really experienced anything I would think would make the history books. Today, I think we made history, folks. It may not be a bad thing, though. We are finding out daily, what really matters in life. It takes hardship to build resilience.
We have heard this time and time again that America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. I do believe this and our actions as a country are showing this. Think about it, we have jeopardized our country’s economy to save every last American life we can. We take no casualties. Take heart in this. Our country cares about us. Our lives are more important than money. We have made it through the Great Depression and the Recession and we WILL make it through this.
Finally, take heart in knowing we are continuing operations. Our beef is moving faster than it ever has before, and we are working diligently with the local processors to get more beef in to meet the demand. We are honored to be able to serve our community and do our part in this time of need. Just don’t forget the little guys when this is all over.
Stay safe my friends!