Learning the lessons of the COVID trail
Iusually like a good hike. There is something about being on a trail that is soothing and healing. It can be empowering to use my own two feet — and sometimes my wits — to make it through a hard path.
Hiking trails are typically categorized as Easy, Moderate, or Strenuous.
I have had experience on trails that are moderate. I’ve talked with people who have hiked on strenuous trails. My son and husband were lucky enough to travel to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico with Boy Scout Troop 113 a few years back. The hiking there is definitely strenuous — weather conditions quickly change, small and large rocks are constant, there are dangerous sections, and there is some wildlife and even rattlesnakes.
I’ve been told the experience and views are amazing but that the journey was long and hard and dirty and tiring. It took sheer will to go through and keep putting one foot in front of the other. At a certain point, there was no turning back. They had to hike on, nursing blisters and dirt and thirst while carrying 35 pounds on their backs.
If COVID-19 is a trail, it surely falls in the strenuous category. What’s more, we are having to blaze our own way through as we hike along, while also constantly having to be on the lookout for lions and tigers and bears.
We didn’t ask to come on this trail. We’d turn around if we could but our only choice now is to march forward. If we are to be successful, perhaps we should practice some tips that most experienced hikers use on traditional trails:
Prepare as best you can: Seasoned hikers know that successfully navigating challenging hikes takes time and preparation. You are best prepared when you read a map, think about barriers, plan and gather supplies, and study the weather that is ahead.
Unfortunately, this COVID-19 journey is new and there aren’t a huge number of maps to study. However, we can learn from the countries and communities that started down the path ahead of us. We can observe what did and did not work well for them. We can use good science to educate ourselves .
Now is the time to consider what might be ahead on the trail and do our best to gather what is needed emotionally and practically. We can also practice trail awareness as we continue this journey. This means we don’t just mindlessly walk along but take each step with purpose.
Take care of yourself: Because walking on a strenuous trail is draining physically and mentally (especially when we have to walk each step with purpose), it becomes very important to get back to basics and take care of ourselves. Hikers take breaks frequently, eat as nutritiously as possible, and drink water.
On this COVID journey, it very important that we do the same.
We must also rest our minds from time to time. This may mean taking a break from news or focusing on NONCOVID things in our lives for a while. This is part of the reason that those art opportunities and online events are so important for us right now. Take advantage of these things.
♦ Ask for help when you need it: When we hike in a physical sense, there are times when we are hurt or tired and just can’t go on. The same is true on this COVID journey. We will at times (perhaps even frequently) feel exhausted, short-tempered, and hopeless. When we experience these feelings, it is time to ask for help from a fellow traveler.
During the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that each of us has days of fear, moments of joy, times of peace, and flashes of despair. Luckily, we seem to hit these emotions at different times. Reach out to others when you feel down and out, when you are short with your spouse or children, or when you feel you just can’t go on. When we share and lean on each other a bit, we have more stamina on this trail.
♦ Learn the lessons of the day: Good hikers learn the lessons of the day. They are flexible and adapt to the changes around them. They know there will be good things and bad things on each trail and they work to grow and learn.
We would do well to learn about ourselves and our world, our people, and our Earth on this COVID trail. We would do well to take these lessons to heart and not return to the same old way of living when the crisis is over ... but to live better.
While I enjoy a good hike, this particular COVID trail is not one I would have chosen. I am heartened all the same because I see people reaching out to one another with care and compassion.
I am strengthened because I see generous sharing of resources — stranger to stranger and friend to friend. I am hopeful because I see folks realizing that, at our core, we are the same. I am humbled because I now have a bit more understanding of the struggles that others face each day. Suddenly our interdependence is clearer.
I hope we can take these lessons with us when more of a normal routine emerges, if it ever does. The journey is better when we travel together.
Tina Bartleson is the executive director of the Exchange Club Family Resource Center, which provides in-home parent education and mentoring to families with children 0-12 years.
She has 29 years experience working with families and may be contacted through www.
exchangeclubfrc.org.