What Now? The COVID-19 and My Therapy
A Message to Our Valued Clients and Members: We understand the growing concern surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19) across our communities, and our hearts go out to all those who’ve been impacted. As loyal clients and members of Matters of the Mind, LLC, we value your time and have always taken great pride in the aesthetic of the office along with the cleanliness of facilities used. Your health and safety is our first priority and, like many others, we’re taking guidance from the CDC, which recommends regular cleaning as one of the most important preventative measures. We are enforcing extra hand washing, additional sanitation measures such as more frequent sanitizing and deep cleaning to our Location/building. We kindly ask that you be proactive and reschedule your appointment through your Client Portal or texting 443.854.5586 at least forty-eight (48) hours before if you are under the weather (coughing, sneezing, fever, etc.). We will waive cancellation fees due to exigent illness and reschedule your appointment to a later date once your symptoms subside. Please be advised that your session will be declined and rescheduled for anyone who is experiencing cold/flu-like symptoms. In the event that there is shutdown – meaning that the US/State calls for a quarantine where individuals will not be able to leave the house – Matters of the Mind will immediately transition to virtual sessions using its ZOOM virtual platform – HIPPA compliant and encrypted. All members who are scheduled will receive a Zoom Invitation sent to there email address on file. Virtual sessions work best in connectivity on tablets/laptops/PC versus smartphones. In order to download ZOOM, please go to zoom.us/download; the app can be downloaded via your Playstore. If you have any questions please feel free to call/text us at 443-854-5586 or email at [email protected]. We appreciate your support during this crucial time and look forward to your next sessions! Peace and Blessings, Angela Harper, LCPC, Founder/CEO Cc: Matters of the Mind Administration
Matters of the Mind: TeleTherapy World
To My Dedicated Members: I want to thank each one of you for your courage and honesty that you have shown in your therapeutic journey thus far – YOU are the reason why I stay motivated in this sacred call. Second, these are trying and unprecedented times for ALL of us – there are no exemptions. Our collective connectedness couldn’t be more apparent as we encounter directly how and what occurs in one part of the world has a far-reaching impact on the entire world. As I/we keep a pulse of what is coming within the next weeks and maybe months, I am aware of the safety that is more apparent, and needed, for us as individuals who are not exempt from the COVID – 19; however, being active participants in a worldwide solution that will hopefully change the course of action within the next several weeks. Therefore, I have implemented the following in order to ensure that we are being responsible, safe, and compliant with CDC and Maryland Department of Health Guidelines for therapy: 1. Effective, Saturday, 3/21/2020, Matters of the Mind, LLC office will be closed until further notice. 2. Beginning March 23rd to the end of the month, March 31st, all sessions will be held virtually face to face using the Zoom Platform (see details below). Scheduled members will be sent a Gmail invite inclusive of the Zoom platform details within the invite. 3. **Important** There will be no teletherapy sessions held on April 1st – April 4th. All sessions have been canceled and we ask that you reschedule if applicable. After April 4th, all sessions will resume – being held teletherapy until further notice. 4. TeleTherapy Appointments fall in line with face to face policy appointments. Even though we have waived all cancellation fees during this time, we ask that you follow the cancellation policy if you choose not to attend your virtual appointment – canceling at least 24 hours before your appointment. Zoom Appointments – TeleTherapy Delivery1. If you do not have the Zoom Application, please download it on your PC/tablet by going to www.zoom.us/download or if by mobile, go to your play store and download the App. Please note that the Zoom connectivity works best on a PC/tablet versus a smartphone. In the case of bad connection/disconnection, you will be called on your mobile phone to continue session. 2. During your virtual session, please ensure that privacy is at the forefront – e.g. secure a private room/space with limited distractions. Again, thank you for your dedication and compliance during this time! We will make it, and we will make it…together! As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions/concerns. We are here to help! Peace and Blessings, Angela Harper, Founder & CEO Cc: Matters of the Mind Administration
Who Has Time…To Play?
Did you know that Play is an essential activity? In his book, Essentialism, Greg McKeown states that Stewart Brown concluded, “that play has the power to significantly improve everything. From personal health, to relationship, to education, to organization, to the ability to create. Nothing fire ups the brain like play” This information came in handy for me while faced with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. I work as a mailman. Everyday I’m out in the public trying my best to practice social distance. Being considered essential, I’m out on the frontlines making myself susceptible to being infected. For weeks, I went to work with this in the back of my mind. One day, after finishing my shift, a coworker walked up to me and showed me her cellphone where I read the following “someone tested positive here at the station”. I instantly knew that I wouldn’t be coming back to work for a while. Just the thought that I came in contact with someone that was positive was overwhelming. Earlier in the week, a close friend of my family died from the coronavirus. I could not bear the thought of infecting my household. So what did I do on my first day off? I spent making calls, brainstorming about how NOT to burn my leave, and still get a paycheck. The situation and thought process became extremely stressful. It was exhausting! So exhausting that I got in the bed around 2pm and spent the remainder of the day there. To do this again…to think about the lack of… to ponder on the what-if’s… to problem solve uncertainty?? Nope. Decision made. I woke up the next day knowing I couldn’t repeat the previous day’s thought process. I got up early and went over my ladies house. Why my ladies’ house? This is where I spent the whole day playing with her son. We played the board game, Trouble. We wrote poems together. We played Sonic on his Nintendo Switch. We climbed into his secret fort and hung out. I played! I decided to let the worries of the world go and I had fun! What did play do? The mixture of inviting my younger self to play with this vibrant young soul, shifted my perspective and ignited creativity – this blog was birthed from this space. My conclusion: There were decisions that still needed to be made, but they waited until after I played. Fun Facts: Helpingguide.org tells us that the benefits of play relieves stress, improves brain function, stimulates the mind and boost creativity, improves relationships and your connection to others, keeps you feeling young and energetic, develops and improves social skills, play teaches cooperation with others, and heals emotional wounds. Have you negated the “youth” in you and decided that “play” can take a back seat, esp in unprecedented, stressful, uncertain times? What is your current relationship with Play. Let us hear your voice, our community wants to hear from you! Written by: Q. EdmondsM.O.T.M. StoryTeller
Accountability, After Divorce
Accountability after divorce has been LIFE CHANGING for me!So much went through my mind after divorce. The feeling of being rejected. Feeling unwanted. Feeling fat and ugly. Feeling like I had something to prove. I quickly knew that having these feelings, while having my actions unchecked, was a dangerous combination. “It’s not good for man to be alone” (Gen 2:18). I knew that if I was lonely, and alone, I would do something that I would regret.So I made a conscious decision to pick at least one male friend to be completely vulnerable and transparent with in the area of my sex life. The person I chose happened to be my closest friend. We had already built a trusting relationship in telling one another the deep things concerning the layers of our lives. However, I knew I had to step up the vulnerability game in this area – yes Brene Brown, the Vulnerability Factor became necessary in this phase of my life.I needed to be honest with him strictly about how I felt about the divorce – How it made me feel in the area of my sex life! My ego and pride was bruised. I wanted to make sure that women still desired me. I wanted to make sure that I could still arouse them. My insecurities had me considering doing reckless things.Yes, it was crucial, imperative, and vital that when those feelings of wanting to be sexually desired surfaced that I checked in with my accountability partner.By talking about the “Why” in relation to sex, it helped me get to the root of my feelings. Communication made me admit if I just wanted to ejaculate. At other times, I realized I was just lonely and wanted female company. Other times, I didn’t want sex – I just craved physical touch.For this to work, I had to allow my boy to hold me accountable. First, I had to communicate when I didn’t want to. Secondly, I had to tell the truth and be completely honest. And lastly, I had to allow him the space to be brutally honest. I had to hear the things I didn’t want to hear. I had to admit to him when I slipped up. I had to be honest about when I ignored his advice. I had to be willing to be held accountable.Currently, I’m in a steady dating relationship – one woman. I know for a fact I wouldn’t be if I hadn’t handled my urges responsibly in the initial stages of my divorce. I am forever grateful for the unbiased and unrelenting support of his accountability; for taking his role to hold me accountable seriously.Taking the time to be held accountable has allowed me the space to be vulnerable with my partner – and be honest about my past.P.S: To hold oneself accountable means to own one’s feelings, and taking responsibility for one’s contribution to the relationship — good and bad.. Furthermore, it means having the guts to attempt to fix what you did, either by asking for help or applying the discipline to change the behavior.Are you willing to be held accountable while single, dating, and/or exploring? If so, by who?Let us hear your voice, our community wants to hear from you! Written by: Q. EdmondsM.O.T.M. StoryTeller
Covid Emasculation: Male Confessions
I recently had the privilege of being on a zoom call with about 15 to 20 men. It’s something that we do quite often to encourage one another. A heavy topic around this time is COVID-19 and the stay home order that is in effect. We got to talking about how it was affecting us. A constant adjective and feeling that was expressed without anyone uttering the word was emasculation. By definition, emasculating is depriving a man of his role or identity. It’s when you make a man feel weaker or less effective. So many men had expressed their lack of opportunity to work. They expressed their lack of being able to have an outlet for frustrations. They expressed their fear of the unknown. So many men knew how to navigate the world as it once was. They knew how to hustle and make moves to make ends meet. Even if they lost there stable 9 to 5, their hustling mentality or street-savvy would kick in and they knew how to flip the situation. Involuntarily, this unprecedented time has changed the rules for us – Industries have stopped producing; suppliers have closed shops; travelling is more difficult than ever. Some men have lost a grip on reality, better yet, this has never been their reality. I’ve never heard so many men admit openly at one time in one setting that they were scared.It was totally emasculating. Men are deprived of their role to provide. They were less effective as creators and developers. So it seemed…… As the zoom facilitator began to weave in his topic, you could feel the virtual room shift as the men’s perspective gradually changed. The moderator advocated for the quality of ENDURING – means to continue or long-lasting. Every man could instantly relate because even though he was scared, he had no plans of giving up. Men began to verbalize their commitments. Commitments to loving their wives, supporting their kids. Verbalizing their willingness to tell their bosses that they weren’t coming into the office because they had children with respiratory problems and was not going to put them at risk; willing to be patient with their wives even though they had never been in these close quarters with them for this long period of time. Some had to tackle anger problems because they did not have their normal outlets at the golf course, football games, meeting up at a local bar, and lounge with their friends. These men knew that this was something they had to endure. In that acceptance of something they couldn’t change, they started to focus on the things they could change. They found identity in the midst of something that was emasculating them. They were learning how to be effective in ways that they didn’t Imagine. They began their power back. They found masculinity in an emasculating time. If you are having a hard time dealing with this period of covid-19, have you considered changing your perspective? Let us hear your voice, our community wants to hear from you! Written by: Q. EdmondsM.O.T.M. StoryTeller
Emotional Blanket
On May 16th, 2020, I had the incredible privilege to work with the amazing Angela Harper, Founder and CEO of Matters Of The Mind, the stealthy John Waire, the Founder of the WaireHouse, the masterful Lavonne Sauls, Founder and CEO of LitWebsies, and the incomparable Cynthia Schroeder, Executive Liaison for Matters of the Mind LLA dba VAULTAGE. We were all together working on a vision that Mrs. Harper carried through the process of gestation, incubation, and was now giving birth to. Historically, Maryland’s stay at home order went into effect at 8PM on March 30, 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak. On Friday May 15th at 5PM part of the order was lifted allowing some businesses to open its doors. So for a little more than two months, families, individuals, couples, loved ones have been cooped up in the house without much human interaction and engagement. Covid-19 compliant, we wore our masks practiced social distancing; however, it felt good to be able to feed off of the energy in the room and off of each other. We could not avoid the emotional charge that was present. That days’ project had been emotional in itself – as we were privileged to hear about the therapy journey from some courageous and resilient individuals. Even though we were the staff helping people tell their stories, we couldn’t help but feel the therapeutic presence ourselves. As we recapped the days’ events, part of our own stories began to seep through. We found ourselves sitting, talking, laughing, empathizing, releasing, listening, joking, then it became silent for a second. In that second of reflection, we realized how much we needed THIS – the time of just being together. It was during this time that the words of John Waire, Founder and lead photographer at The WaireHouse and Shine Your Light Balitmore, resonated with me deeply. Listening to the transparency of life behind the camera, he shared his love and comfortability of being behind the camera. He went on to share that, at times, when the environment gets too emotionally charged or if something is said that resonates with him deeply, he will raise his camera to his original position to cover his face to resume picture taking. He said, “It’s like my emotional blanket”. The room got silent and we just sat in the moment, in that statement….An emotional blanket, a comfort object, a transitional object, or a security blanket is an item used to provide psychological comfort. It’s most common with children however as John Waire so eloquently described, adults have emotional blankets. We use various items as psychological comfort. We use our jobs. We use relationships. We use houses and cars. We use ideologies, concepts, and ideas. We use food. The whole idea behind why we use emotional security blankets is to hide our true emotions. The blanket allows us short term relief from what has probably been a long term symptom. Covering our emotions with the blanket allows us to not uncover the roots of our emotions. It would do good to ask ourselves….”Why am I crying?” or asking ourselves “Why am I eating?”. What is it that you are really feeling? Do you really believe and practice the ideology you preach? Or is it safer to hide your emotions behind the blanket of judgment? Maybe this COVID-19 has enabled you to identify several emotional blankets. Maybe you’re forced to face emotions that’s been right under the surface (or right under the blanket) and now you can’t cover them anymore. We all, to some degree, wear a mask. It’s a defense mechanism. It’s a survival tool. It’s for our own protection. However, I would admonish you to find a safe place, like a therapist, and uncover. Because you could continue to blanket your emotions……until something comes along like a global pandemic and you can’t cover them anymore. Sidenote: John Waire, thank you for giving us permission to share your self reflection within this writing. You left a deposit with us this day. Did Covid-19 force you to ask yourself some hard questions? Did it unearth some emotions? Written by: Q. EdmondsM.O.T.M. StoryTeller
MANIC MONDAYS!
Uuuugghh……Mondays!!!!! Why are Mondays so hard?Well, in an article written by Kathy Benjamin for Mentalfoss.com, there are 6 scientific reasons why Mondays are the worst.1. Sleep Patterns: “Our minds are slaves to our body clocks. Most people like to sleep in on the weekend and it throws our body clocks off.”2. Socializing: Kathy writes “Humans are social animals, and to feel happy we need to feel comfortable with our place in a “tribe,” so to speak. Even after just two days away, according to scientists, we need to make sure our place in our work environment is secure.”3. Sudden Change: “All workdays are equally terrible. But if you ask people to remember which day was worst, they will always say Monday. This comes down to the fact that there is a larger emotional shift from Sunday (a happy weekend day) to Monday (a workday)”4. You Feel Worst About Yourself: “Your average weekend might involve eating, drinking, or smoking more than normal. And all of these things take a toll on you physically, which may be why one study found that American women of all ages and locations feel least attractive on Mondays”5. You Are Less Healthy: “On a Monday, you actually are less healthy. Scientists have found that even people who generally maintain their weight weigh the most at the beginning of the week. Mondays are also the most common day for people to suffer heart attacks and strokes”.6. You Don’t Like Your Job: According to a massive Gallup poll, 70 percent of people hate or, at best, are “completely disengaged” from their job. This contributes to what psychiatrists and career coaches call the “Monday Blues.”So as Kathy Benjamin so accurately describes Mondays are horrible! Scientifically horrible!However, armed with this information we can make some adjustments. A. Maybe we can continue a healthy sleep pattern on the weekend! Or maybe we can work on being more secure in our own identities through self-love, less comparison, and therapy. And the results will be the need for less validation from our coworkers.B. Maybe it’s as simple as changing your perspective around understanding that the workload for Monday is the same workload as the other days.C. How about we continue our healthy eating and exercising even over the weekend.D. Lastly, we can set as a long term or short term, if possible, to find a job or career that we love.I know, I know, it’s easier said than done!? The flip side is we can combat our manic Monday the same way we combat our mania – with proper strategies, healthy routines, and planning and execution.Maybe living too much for the weekend is impulsive behavior. One of the classic definitions of impulsive behavior is engaging in harmful activities without considering possible consequences. So, maybe…just maybe, we never accounted for how we live on the weekend directly affects our Monday.Listen, have fun on the weekend. Have a ball! Just make some minor adjustments so that you can continue to live your best life…….even on a Monday!Tell us about your most Manic Monday? Tell me one thing you’re willing to change over the weekend?Let us hear your voice, our community wants to hear from you! Written by: Q. EdmondsM.O.T.M. StoryTeller
INVISIBLE….as A Black Man
I don’t write this to incite any feelings. This is a true account of life inside the skin of a black man. On Saturday, March 7th, 2020, I went into Shoppers Food Market to pick somethings up for Sunday dinner. I was meeting up with some friends. I and two male friends decided to cook for the ladies in our lives. I went into the vegetable aisle to get some peppers. I was going to stuff them with some salmon. I was standing there trying to pick out the perfect peppers. A white man walked up on my left attempting to get close enough to pick some peppers. Now I have to admit, I was hogging the peppers. My shopping cart was blocking his way and I was standing right in front of all the peppers. So I looked at the man and said, “My bad bro”, and I moved my shopping cart back and stepped over to the right so that he could get in and pick his pepper.He said nothing. He looked at the peppers and then went around my cart and came up on my right side. So, I slid to my left to give him more access to the peppers. He then crossed in front of me to go back to the left side of me, brushing past me in the process. I said, “Bro if you need to get in here, all you have to say is excuse me”Again, He said nothing. After a brief moment, he crosses back in front of me, this time bumping me out of his away. As he passed, I elbowed him as hard as I could in his back. I then said, “All you have to say is excuse me”.He turned to me, now with both of us staring each other straight in the eyes, with him maybe 3 inches taller than me. I stand at about 5’11 so he at about 6’2. He speaks for the first time…”Your momma didn’t give you any home training”.This is not what I expected him to say. Honestly, I just expected him to swing and the fight would just be on. But no fist was flying. I definitely expected a couple of expletives. But no, just “Your momma didn’t give you any home training”. I told him, he had better get out of my face before I F*cked him up. At that point, if he said anything, I don’t remember. Against my better judgment, and training from my father on these matters, I turned my back towards him and went back to picking my peppers.After 15 seconds, I felt something bump me hard. The guy had crashed his cart into me and my cart! I took three (3) slow seconds to collect my thoughts. These were my thoughts: 1. Do I let this go 2. Do I call the police 3. Aww Hell No! With #3 decided, I pushed him as hard as I could! I sent him flying into either some oranges or apples – I can’t exactly remember. His cart turned over. He fell on top of it. The fruit fell all over the floor. The contents of his cart spilled out. He got up, quickly gathered himself, and charged at me. I got into my fighting stance ready to engage. He stopped just short of arms distance and he began spewing jarring insults.Two workers came and broke up the commotion. He went his way and I went mine. I could see the man roaming about the store. I kept my distance. I was frazzled, however continued shopping. Out the corner of my eye, I saw a police officer approach the man. I heard him ask, “Sir, were you just involved in an altercation”. The man replied, “Yes”The officer asked, “Are you ok”The man said, “Yes” The officer asked, “Who was you involved in the altercation with?”The man pointed and said, “That guy right there”The officer looked, put his hand on his gun, and asked again very slowly, “Are you ok”.At that moment I thought………This is how it all starts…I LITERALLY thought about the headlines of unarmed black people that’s been killed by police officers…..Eric Garner, Freddy Gray, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice.Today I think of George Floyd.I thought about how their situations may have started just like this….on a day where they were happy minding there business, planning Sunday dinner, or planning to meet up with friends and ended up dead by the end of the day. I was already tense from the altercation that took place just minutes ago. So I had to constantly and intentionally tell myself, “whatever happens next, you have to keep your emotions under control” I already felt disrespected once and I knew that if this officer, another white man, approached me like I’m a suspect when I’m actually the victim, I knew that my internal fight (not flight) would rise up.I had to force myself to CALM DOWN. THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENS….how many unarmed blacks died trying to defend their right to have a good day minding their business?I heard the white guy tell the white officer something that pissed me off and also made me extremely grateful. He told the officer, “Yes I’m ok, we just had a misunderstanding. We both just felt a little disrespected”.I shed tears even now because depending on that man’s response, its very possible I wouldn’t be writing this. I could be in jail or dead. That white man had the power to start and finish this – and yes, that reality pissed me off! On the other hand, it makes me extremely grateful that he took some ownership. Was he aware of what could have happened if he said something different? I’m almost certain.At check out, I stood at one register and the guy stood at the one directly next to me. We both looked in each other’s direction but ultimately looked past each other. Then the weight of the situation hit like a ton of bricks. The officer never even came to ask me my side of the story. He never came to
QUARANTINED BLESSINGS
“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” Isaiah 43:2 New International Version (NIV)I know that all of our readers don’t subscribe to the creeds of The Bible…..but, I reference the good book from time to time! Let me explain the essence of the scripture above. Basically, it’s saying that when rough and difficult times arrive they will not drown you. Your boat will rise with the tide. I can honestly say that in this time of COVID-19, when it seems as though all should be lost, there are individuals, families, businesses, experiencing the essence of Isaiah 43:2. There are people finding great opportunities and blessings in this time of quarantine. For example, I personally know four (4) people who have settled on homes, others who are first time home buyers, for others who are in real estate, they have purchased there second and third properties – some buying their first commercial properties in this time of quarantine. Let’s not forget those who have been issued stimulus checks to help sustain them through this difficult time. There are nonprofit organizations whose donations have increased by 37% and some churches online viewerships have increased by 3x times the amount. Derrick Jones, better known by his stage name D-Nice, is an American disc jockey whose followers increased to over 2million on Instagram because of his quarantine house parties. Social media influencer, Tabitha Brown, signed with CAA (Creative Artists Agency), one of the top entertainment agencies in the world after one of her quarantine videos went viral. There is a school in DC that raised over $20k for families that need food and essentials in this covid-19 time. There are people finally getting rest from high – demanding jobs. We have kids seeing parents that they normally wouldn’t see due to high duration travel schedules for work. You even have married couples re-discovering one another through quality time spent. As you can see, there are STILL recognized opportunities flowing in this quarantine time. For those reading this post and struggling with that fact that others are getting blessed and it seems that you’re not, I would challenge you to change your perspective. There are people all over the world that’s dying from covid-19. There are people mourning loved ones. There are people that can’t have proper funerals for loved ones that passed. Maybe it is you that is reading this and saying to yourself, “I have experienced these things”, or “I am going through it right now.” This writing is not to seed insensitivity nor being dismissive – but in understanding the whole picture. We want you to know that (1) You are not alone, (2) that the people at Matters of the Mind are here for you. Reach out to us, we are here to help. Let us direct you to some resources. Because if nothing, you are the blessing in this quarantine time. The fact that you are reading this and still pressing and still standing is a blessing in itself! Peace and Blessings to you and yours. Reflection/Feedback: Can you name two things that you are thankful for in your time of quarantine? Let us hear your voice, our community wants to hear from you! Written by: Q. EdmondsM.O.T.M. StoryTeller
Control
“Half of the troubles of this lIfe can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough” – Josh Billings (quoted from the book, Essentialism) We have more control over our lives than we think.These unprecedented times in the form of crisis-oriented have positioned us to face the questions that revolve around a concept that is precious but we seem not to have enough of … TIME. We’ve used work, schedules, and the busyness of life as reasons why we can not accomplish seemingly the weekly to-do list. But then, through a global natural disaster, the Covid – 19 aka the coronavirus, came along, forced a world freeze, and now TIME had a different lens? Truth is we never needed a global pandemic to make time. All we had to do was exercise our control over our own lives. Sound simple right? What about this: The coronavirus pandemic should have shown us that we didn’t say “No” soon enough. For example, we were so scared of what it would cost us to miss some time at work that we couldn’t see what working all the time cost us. Lesson: We can survive by doing less. That’s what the book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown, is all about. The author goes into the crevices of time to teach us how to live an intentional life by trimming away the fat. Has Covid-19 made you reexamine what’s essential? Now that the world has begun to stretch out of bed, have you felt yourself going back to feeling or being busy? “The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of none essentials” – Lin Yutang I heard of one story of a father going in to say goodnight to his daughter. The daughter asked him, “Are you coming to say goodbye because I won’t see you in a few days?” He’d travel so much before the pandemic that his daughter thought that a simple goodnight was a goodbye. One couple was being interviewed on a podcast. They were asked how have they been enjoying one another in this quarantine. The couple replied that in 20 years of being together they’ve never spent this much time with each other. They said it was refreshing and fun but spending this time with one another for the remainder of their careers is less likely. What did this couple do: They foreshadowed that their lives will revert back to pre-pandemic, no respite. I am in the belief that we have the right to choose what we do with our time. Destiny is a design destination. We can put routines and habits in place to steer our ships on the course we want. Societal, Familial, YOUR expectations would cause you to believe that “NO” equates to a “loss” when it’s actually the complete opposite – its an answer, just as “Yes”, and it increases the control and self-preservation factor to where we are clear about the direction of our owns lives. I anticipate that through the “fog” and ambiguity of this pandemic, a new perspective is birthed. Questions: Has your perspective about TIME changed during this pandemic? Let us hear your voice, our community wants to hear from you! Written by: Q. EdmondsM.O.T.M. StoryTeller Stock image by Miguel Bruna
