April 1 - In The Morning it Feels Like a Normal Day

Early in the morning, walking the yard before anyone else is up, it could be any early spring day.

But then things get rolling. And the surreal reality we live in reemerges. I won't be taking the kids to school, or lining up a meeting for coffee in town, I won't be scheduling in person shoots and interviews or travel.  I'm still editing & publishing podcasts, still taking the dog out, still enjoying my morning coffee.  New on the list: getting things in order for today's live Zoom call.  Today's guest was Bruce Babashan.  He was one of the most powerful speakers yet.  He talked about how he is coaching his athletes:

"We all experience fear. The trick is turning fear into fire. If that is true, right now the world is ablaze with energy.
You can wallow, or take the fuel of this moment."

Our friend Kressa Peterson, founder of Shower Toga, was on the call too. She has been sending her products free to medical workers and first responders who have been changing and showering outside of their homes so they don't expose their families to the virus.  Processing and verifying requests has become overwhelming emotionally.  She said "I thought I was the kind of person that could handle this...maybe I'm not." In a few seconds both she and Bruce (and many of us) had tears in our eyes.  Even those of us safe at home have been feeling this slow, continuous, build-up of pressure. Bruce told her she is strong enough, and the tears and emotion are sure signs that she is a genuine person and shouldn't change. He shared some stories about fighters - famous ones facing fear each time they go into the ring, and the young athletes he coaches keeping training on track when food and money might be scarce and the future of their sport is uncertain.

“These circumstances reveal the pretenders & reveal us to ourselves."