Growing up, my mom spoke of the silver lining. If there was a storm, she would say to look for the sliver of blue in the sky. “If the sliver of blue is enough to sew a dress, the weather is clearing.” In turn, I often didn’t look at a storm in fear as a mashed up canvas of gray and dark clouds smeared as far as the eye could see. My eyes would scan the sky above for the cut of blue no matter how narrow.
Where is the silver lining?
Where is the sliver of blue?
Eventually it would appear. It was only a matter of time.
And so, if it can be said that a silver lining exists somewhere within the uncertainty of our current time, for me, it is this: spending more time with my family.
It seems we’re always outdoors doing something together: riding bikes, skateboarding, taking long walks, gardening or digging through the dirt, playing basketball. These activities aren’t out of the norm for us, global health pandemic or not. We’re an extremely active family who loves being outside. These activities have increased though. We ride bikes more. We skateboard more. Yes, I partake in skateboarding and biking (and by biking, I mean BMX). And no, I’m not very good. And yes, I do often hurt myself. But it’s fun bunny hopping and pulling an upper back muscle or doing an endo to fakie and tweaking my hip — because I’m doing all of this with my kids.
A daily walk as a family is now a thing. It used to just be the dog and me. Now it’s the five of us — the dog and me, my wife, and our two young kids. And, there are usually two to three walks each day. The walks range from thirty minutes to an hour and thirty minutes in which we venture down paved trails to dirt trails and across creekbeds buried in the woods and back up into civilization again.
While it seems we’re always doing these things, the reality is that we do these activities during our breaks throughout the day. I still have to work. My wife still has to work. We’re parents, employees, and teachers rolled into one because our kids still have to do schoolwork every day and meet with their classmates and teachers virtually. But we make the most of our newfound time navigating to the tiny slivers of blue in our schedules.
And, I am grateful for this sliver of blue in an otherwise gray and dark sky.
The COVID-19 pandemic is ultimately a tragedy with dire consequences across the board. That doesn’t absolve it from a silver lining, however. Even flowers grow through the hardened lava of a volcano’s ruins.
What is your silver lining in all of this? Have you found your sliver of blue? It’s there, somewhere.
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10 replies on “There’s Always a Silver Lining”
It’s feels like a weird thing to say what you are thankful for during all this but I agree. I feel like I know my family better.
I feel the same way. The whole thing is sad. People are dying. I am so appreciative of our doctors and nurses and our rescue squad staff. At the same time being forced at home has given me a whole different viewpoint of my own family that I have been to blind to see all these years. It almost makes me sad but Im happy. Better now than never.
Indeed. As someone who works in one segment of health care, seeing what doctors, nurses, and facilities are all going through is courage in action. What’s angering to me is how so many were placed in harm’s way unnecessarily due to our government’s slow response. Even the most basic things like PPE supplies being used and re-used.
I also think it’s weird not. You can be grateful and empathetic at the same time. It seems human nature to float toward guilt in all situations. I believe that’s really disguised empathy at work.
I really enjoyed this. Shared!!
I’m glad.
My sliver of blue is walking, yard work, washing down my beautiful white fence, planting flowers, transplanting Hosta, sitting on my deck and listening to the birds sing, and enjoying the beautiful Spring weather!
Those are all good ones.
Beautiful and true
Thank you