It is day 473 of lockdown, we’ve gone through the first and second wave. The third is currently breaking on the shores of several provinces. Job losses, financial uncertainty, job insecurity, a return to online schooling, stricter curtailment of movement and rights. The latest news is showing an active expression of the turmoil many are experiencing inside. Violence and a ruthless disregard for the course we had set our sights on seems to dictate the airwaves of every channel. Tired, hopeless and unrelenting seems to be the theme of the day.

While grocery shopping the other day this was summed up by the cashier who referred to the current situation as a type of never ending story. Do you ever feel like you go through the day and it’s as if you are stuck listening to your worst song except today, it is on a never ending loop and no matter how much you convince yourself that the next song will change everything, you have this sneaky suspicion deep down that despite your best hopes, the same song will come rambling along?

Sometimes when the big things in life seem to continuously let us down, it may be time to position yourself to start noticing the smaller ones. Too often we extend our energy in a desperate attempt to move the greatest immovable obstacles. When we’ve used up all we have to offer, we collapse exhausted and defeated.

I’d like to suggest that when presented with challenges that are uncontrollable by our efforts, we pause, re-evaluate and look for tasks that we can control, where we can successfully achieve. Even if comparatively small, there comes a time where the combination of small victories can result in a sense of great accomplishment. 

As we are faced with many uncontrollable factors on a daily basis, I encourage you to re-position yourself to find the gold in the small moments. Appreciating the excitement of a child’s birthday you typically would have been at the office for, the joy on the face of a child who’s just discovered something new, an extra-long hug, breakfasts in bed, morning cuddles, a day of play, a long walk, teaching a new skill that you learnt from your parents that you’ve hoped to pass down, but never seemed to find the time to share.

Make no mistake, storms to do pass and so will this one. Never ending stories do not exist in a world where one thing we can rely on is change. Look up, not out, seek insight not answers and if you can’t stop the storm from raging around you, find a viewpoint that can speak to the life that is possible, not as a result of the raging storm, but the new life that comes with the falling of rain.