Pandemic Positives: 12 Ways this Global Time-Out is Changing My Life for the Better
Yes, we are in the midst of some serious chaos. The world-at-large has been told to STOP life as most of it knew it a month ago, and to stay HOME in an effort to stop the spread of the C-word. No one can travel. Restaurants are closed. We can’t socialize IRL with people outside our own homes. It’s a crazy, unprecedented new set of “rules” that came at us so fast, most of us just focused on making sure we had food for weeks and as it turns out, worried about our toilet paper supplies.
The first two weeks were unsettling at best, as most of my friends faced getting their kids home from college or set up to home school. Couples who never worked under the same roof now have no choice, if they still have work to do that is. Hundreds of thousands in my business (travel) are furloughed as there is simple no travel to sell until this all settles down and we are healthy and safe. No one seems to know when that will actually be. My prediction? Not before the fall, which literally kills summer travel for everyone but who can actually think about getting on a plane to visit places trying to keep their residents healthy and alive?
As someone who relocated to my favorite island, MAUI Hawaii, in January after flying here four times last year and turning 50 under a rainbow at an epic birthday party at my favorite hotel (now closed through May), I am one of the most fortunate people on the planet. If I had to be grounded anywhere in the world and told to stay home and enjoy a few months of peace and quiet, I’d choose Maui. It’s long been my “happy place” and sanctuary, and the place I feel most at home and where I have a wonderful chosen ohana (family).
Granted, watching the travel business I spent the past 15 years building implode over a few days and having zero clue about how bills will get paid during the hiatus caused some initial panic, fear and stress. Who wouldn’t stress when they started to see the work they’d done for months be cancelled out with no compensation?!? The upside? I’m kidding myself if I don’t admit I’ve been a bit burnt out being on call 24/7 for so many years. Now, like so many of you, I am being forced to take a serious TIME OUT. And to do what I came back to Maui to do…to escape the chaos of daily life on the mainland, and to focus on finding PEACE and choosing JOY. It’s what I did when I came here to focus on my health/wellness in 2016, wrote a book about, and if nothing else, I’ve mastered the art of staying calm amidst the chaos.
With that said, here are 12 ways this global time-out is already creating positive changes in my life:
- RESTING. I am seriously resting. And sleeping, well. When I came to Maui in January it was on the heels of the crazy busy “festive” season and the island had frenetic energy from the throngs of visitors who pack the hotels over the holidays. The energy was a bit exhausting especially to those of us who make a living selling travel. Resting and sleeping a full 8 hours/night has gone back up to the top of my priority list. As Deepak Chopra has said, nothing is more important than sleeping well to restore and recharge your body. Now, we have nowhere to go at night, no reason to not go to sleep early and no reason to rest if we are tired. It feels really good to be well-rested after decades of traveling the world and constantly feeling jetlagged and run-down.
- WALKING. I am walking SO much and loving it. My dogs and I go on at least 3 good walks/day and I plan to start adding in a separate “me only” walk so that I can listen to music and get some cardio in. I have some of my best ideas and the creativity flows when I am walking solo by the sea. Which we are allowed to do (if we live close enough to walk there, which I am lucky enough to do). The paths I take my dogs to walk on are basically empty, which is a nice change and super peaceful for all of us.
3. YOGA. I am finally getting around to doing 60–90 minutes of very gentle/yin/restorative yoga every day. In my house. In the lovely space I have and never used until a week ago when it struck me it would be the perfect home yoga studio if I moved the ottoman out of the way. It’s light and spacious and quiet and simply perfect for a home yoga practice. For years, a yoga teacher friend of mine told me to download the YogaGlo app and do her classes. I never did until last week and now it’s my new (healthy) addiction. It’s where you will find me 330–5pm daily and I plan to keep up this practice as it’s so enjoyable and good for my energy, body, mind and spirit.
4. RECONNECTING. I cannot be the only person who is LOVING hearing from friends around the globe who actually have time to properly catch up. We all used to text each other quickly in between meetings and travels, now we are ALL at home with plenty of time on our hands to catch up leisurely. I’m making a point to reach out to a few people who I think about daily, and I’m finding many are reaching out to me as well. Real phone calls, not just business-related calls, from friends in the travel industry I’ve known many years. Childhood and college friends reaching out just to check in and say hi. It’s been amazing. Truly. No one I don’t want to hear from is calling me these days (no stressful work calls now that all travel is cancelled!) which means every call that comes in lights up my phone with positive energy. Scheduling time daily to really talk and connect with people I genuinely want to catch up with has been a huge positive.
5. MUSIC ALL THE TIME. Have any of your favorite musicians been playing live on their social media? When would they ever have time to do FREE live concerts for fans globally if not for the pandemic that’s grounded their tours. Most notably, I get to hear a daily performance by Michael Franti from Bali, and today he and his wife Sarah did an Instagram live concert to benefit the World Health Organization. It was incredible. While the show I bought tickets for in a few months at Red Rocks may not happen, he’s playing live daily performances of new songs and keeping the spirit upbeat and positive. I’ve also tuned into shows by Matt Nathanson, my old camp friends, and listened to conversations with Adam Levine. Just to name a few. We are ALL stuck at home and the musicians are taking it upon themselves to entertain us. GRATEFUL for them! Music heals.
6. STAYING HEALTHY, GETTING HEALTHIER. While I like to believe I always put my own health atop my priority list (after battling a different virus, Epstein-Barr/mono a few years ago), it’s easy to slip into a routine of feeling healthy enough to ignore the need of taking ALL the vitamins every day. Not anymore. Not a day goes by now that I am not taking everything I know is essential for keeping my immune system strong and healthy, always, not just in a pandemic. I’ve restocked my arsenal of all that’s been recommended for me…including vitamins A, C, D, E, K, plus a daily probiotic, ginger, licorice tea, hylands cell salts, elderberry, lysine, and Bcomplex + a few others….NO EXCUSES like being too busy to remember to take all this goodness every day.
7. CONSCIOUSLY EATING. I am a foodie at heart and I love great restaurants, but I’m also a celiac with lots of food allergies in reality. It’s not always easy for me to stick to my desired plan of “Food is Medicine” as real life often requires eating out with clients/friends at spots that don’t always accommodate my dietary preferences very well. With many of the island restaurants closed, the ones that are open/offering take out are offering customized/personalized options and seem grateful for the local support. I’ve become friendly with a few local chefs who are kind enough to cook for me on request, and a few sell their incredible creations at the local farmer’s markets which are “essential” and allowed to stay open. So, I am eating MUCH better as I am only eating things that work well for me…allergies and all. Homeade Thai food from one spot, farm-to-table owner/chef prepared Hawaiian/Filipino from another, delicious hand-pressed juices and even things like goat milk/cheese straight from the farm. Everyone is offering their produce and farm-grown items at reasonable prices to the local community. Because, that is Maui. And, another reason I love being here amidst people who are helping people. Eating well is the best way to stay well as food truly is medicine, and now I have time to prioritize and eat consciously while supporting the local community.
8. MAKING NEW FRIENDS. As odd as that sounds, living on an island like Maui has proven that it IS possible to make new friends through all the digital community outreach. I am AMAZED at how those living on this island are stepping up to help those in need, and share information and resources with each other. I am a member of a few newly formed Facebook groups dedicated to sharing details on who’s offering resources for the seniors/most vulnerable as well as anyone in need of food/shelter/information. It’s been comforting to know that we are all connected and interested in helping each other know how long the lines are at the grocery stores and which shops have what (TP) on a regular basis. Updates about the ongoing changes in rules about our stay-at-home orders are also usefully shared. It’s a “small town” on an island, and we are all in this together, even if some of us have not yet met IRL.
9. READING. I love reading. Have since I started at age 4. I’ve been so “busy” the past few years the only reading I was doing was my twitter stream, the occasional chapter or two of a book while on a plane but rarely being able to tune in and focus on enjoying good books. This is changing as we now have plenty time to do what we enjoy, and for me, that’s reading. I have a few books stacked up on my coffee table, including CURED and UNTAMED to start this week. And, I’ve started the Virtual Book Club I’ve always wanted to start! I have 20 members from Maui to Mexico to NY to LA to Australia participating in our weekly Zoom Book Club Connection. It’s amazing sharing the love of reading positive fun books with old friends and new who decided to accept my invite to join.
10. HEALING. I know that there is ALWAYS more healing to do, no matter how much inner work I’ve done and how evolved I think I am. I’ve been reminded of this a lot lately, and it’s allowing me the quiet time to use my own spiritual toolkit to ground myself and meditate on what I want my future to look like. I know it will include helping others find peace and joy in spite of any outside circumstances we can’t control. I am putting on my Master Reiki Healer hat to help a few friends recovering from surgery, stress, anxiety, grief, job loss etc…and plan to continue on this path as it is healing for me AND for whoever is drawn to my energy healing work that can literally shift their physical and emotional blocks from the comfort of my own Maui living room.
11. WRITING WELL. I am a writer. Always have been. Went to journalism school, wrote for magazines for 15 years before starting my travel business and getting caught up in the thrill of running a successful business and traveling all over the place. Finding time to write became challenging as I would “intend” to write a post and then find myself too tired or too busy or facing writers’ block due to my busy schedule. The only way I can write well is when I am NOT stressed, not overworked, not tired, well-nourished and in a peaceful mind space. This pandemic has allowed for ALL of that, so expect frequent blog posts AND my second book to emerge during this time when creativity can flow.
12. BREATHING. Is anyone else NOT enjoying the MUCH cleaner air, the bluer skies, the greener trees? It feels like the entire earth is breathing easier. I know that I am, in spite of uncertainty about the future and how/when the world will be healthy and safe again for people to travel, go back to work, attend shows, and socialize in person. For now, the forced hiatus from all of those things (with some financial relief coming from mortgage/other companies) is truly making me realize I can breathe deeper than I have in a LONG time. We all CAN breathe easier, but only if we surrender to what is happening, and accept that GOODNESS is still allowed to arise during times of chaos. Finding calm amidst the chaos is my mantra. Feel free to borrow it, and BREATHE, just BREATHE. This too, shall pass. xo Stacy (aka your @spiritualtravelagent on Maui).
Find my daily “Maui Moments” videos on my @spiritualtravelagent IGTV and follow me on Instagram at @stacyhopesmall and @spiritualtravelagent for daily doses of PEACE, LOVE and ALOHA.
