I admitted to my wall the other day that I thought I might be going a bit crazy. I wasn’t sure I was handling this quarantine thing well, I’m going a bit stir-crazy, what’s the point of using measuring cups to bake if you can’t do math anyways, yada yada, blah blah, et cetera et cetera.
The reply I got was: “You remember that episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender where Uncle Iroh (Eye-row) talks to Aang in the dark tunnel when they’re looking for their friends?”
Me: “Yes, obviously. You know we’re re-watching the series with Dani.”
The Wall: “Okay, cool, so you remember what he said?”
Me: “Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving you will come to a better place.”
The Wall: “That’s the one. Why don’t you unpack that for me?”
Uh, okay. Well, it’s kind of like what Dory says in Finding Nemo, right? “Just keep swimming?” Just keep moving forward, looking for the light, or positivity when you feel like you need some?
The Wall: “Good. Keep going.”
He says something similar in The Legend of Korra: If you look for the light, you can often find it. But if you look for the dark, that is all you will ever see.”
The Wall: “Have we had this conversation before?”
Me: “Yeah, probably. I have to write a blog every month, so I’m sure it’s come up.”
Listen. I know I bring this series up a lot. But it honestly has been the most consistent thing we’ve done in this household since this whole shindig started, and By God, it makes some good points.
I remind myself of these little nuggets of wisdom when I feel like I’m going crazy. It’s easy to forget that there is good coming out of this, too.
I’ve been working on creating new habits, routines of self care, and finding little moments of joy in each day. Positivity matters. Connections with friends and family matter. Going outside and standing in the sunshine matters. Dwelling on the negative, or scary, or uncertain isn't as healthy as it seems. It's hard not to do, but try to balance that with the good you're seeing!
I hope you can live like Iroh, and see the light at the end of the tunnel, and find little nuggets of wisdom and joy to help you through. Share them! Spread the light to others who need it, too.
Thanks, Wall. You’re a great friend.
--Robin Kime