three things I want you to know

Hey. If you're human, you're probably suffering right now. You may know people who are sick. You may have lost someone close to you. You may be taking care of your family, whether they are young, old, out of work, or trying to cope with their own lives, some of which were pretty hard before the pandemic took us all out of our routines. You may just be frustrated, or bored out of your mind,  thinking about all the people and experiences that you're missing.

There is no lecture or pep talk that anyone can give you that will change our circumstances. This is hard, and it's going to be hard for a while, and none of us know exactly how long that will be, or what life will look like afterward. (Wait a sec: I actually can see a little bit of the future -- the part where I won't be shaking hands with anyone.)

I'm writing today to share three things:

1. I am here for you. That may not mean very much-- after all, "here" in that sentence means my house, and I'm not leaving. I just want you to know that I understand things are hard, and if you need someone to listen, I will. You can email for my phone number, or we can jump on a Zoom call.

2. This will pass. Part of what makes the pandemic so difficult is that we are getting conflicting information, the adults can't seem to agree, and we don't know when it will be over. We don't even know how we will know when it's over, or safe to live our lives in public again.  But we do know this: human beings have endured these events before, many times, and historians and medical professionals all indicate that a pandemic has a life cycle that includes a beginning, multiple phases, and -- thank goodness! -- eventually, an end. This gives me hope. It is also a powerful reminder that we will look back on these months and recall what we did with our time. Which leads me to #3...

3. Learning is alive and well. The school campus has been closed for health reasons, but we are continuing to learn -- also for health reasons. Learning is what humans do best. I'll spare you the lecture about neuronal development, dopamine, depression, stroke survivors, and how the learning I'm talking about here is not what you normally do in your classes (of course, if you're interested, I'll be happy to teach that stuff!). What I really want you to know is this: you are learning every day, and taking just a few minutes to post about your thinking is one way to strengthen yourself, just like exercising, getting 8 hours of sleep, or eating nutritious, balanced meals. This course -- this moment in your life -- is no longer about a grade or graduation. It's about being healthy and strong, and staying that way. So, if you just binge-watched a(nother) show, fine -- now do some jumping jacks, eat some broccoli, and post something to your blog. You'll feel better. I promise.