In a Moment - Issue 24

Last week Winston was feeling a bit off. He was lethargic and sluggish. Initially, I chalked it up to the cool, rainy weather or the change of seasons. When he showed little interest in food or playing, I sensed it was something more serious.

As I anxiously explained his symptoms to the vet, I felt I was overreacting. I even suggested that perhaps I was projecting all my pre-election anxiety onto Winston. The doctor was kind and offered a laugh at my joke to help ease my nerves. Twenty minutes later, following his initial exam, we learned that Winston was in fact quite sick and would need to be kept at the hospital overnight for additional tests and monitoring.

Back in our apartment, as John and I sat on the couch, acutely aware of Winston’s absence, we made a pact. We wouldn't google any of the possible diagnoses. There was no sense in getting unnecessarily spun up without all the information. We would have to wait. And so I made a pact with myself to take a step back from the news posts, a step back from social media, a step back from scrolling and searching. To instead direct my attention to what was immediately present and tangible. I began knitting. I did crossword puzzles. I drank tea. I stretched and rolled around. I cried, a lot. And I reached out to friends. I shared what was happening and asked for their support. Their kind words buoyed me through the unknown waters.

Fortunately, Winston’s symptoms improved and we were able to bring him home the next evening. While he was much better than the day before, he was still in recovery mode and needed to take it slow. With his return home, I didn’t return to my previous news consumption. I kept that pact to myself a little longer. Instead, I continued to be present with what was tangible. The softness of the fur of his ears. The weight of his little body curled up against my side on the couch. The sound of his breath while sleeping.

By taking this step back, by pulling away from the swirl of it all, I was able to connect to what I needed at this moment. I connected to a community of support. I connected to the present more acutely and consciously than I have in months if not years.

Over the next hours, days, possibly weeks, I know I will be getting pulled back into the spin of the news, of posts, of updates and action. But I also know that I can take moments to pull back. To connect back to the tangible. To connect to the things that I can feel, see, touch. The things that help me feel a little more rooted and a little calmer amidst the chaos. So that when I reenter the spin, I come from a place of calm and connection. A place of responsiveness rather than reaction.

In what ways could you pull back a bit and connect to that which is tangible? What things or activities help you feel connected or more rooted? Perhaps explore what happens when you allow all the spin around you to quiet, if even for a moment.