Perspective is everything. Let’s first look at how the current crisis we are facing could be much, much, worse… 

Here are a few examples of just how bad it could be:

• No running water. You can’t bathe, no drinking water, no coffee, no tea, no toilet.
• No electricity, no lights, no power for appliances to make and prepare food, no refrigeration. No TV to know what’s actually going on, or to escape from what’s going on. No computers for work or play, no video games, no cellphones, no internet, no Netflix.  
• No emergency service providers: Fire, Police, Doctors, and Nurses…

Ok, NOW, take a breath. 

Instead, here’s our reality.  Everything we just discussed is actually available.  For this, we can be grateful. If it were 100 years earlier, we wouldn’t have any of the conveniences we now take for granted.  I don’t know about you, but I’m incredibly grateful to be living in this day and age, with all of the modern marvels and conveniences that make life easier.  Yes, things are bad on the surface, but when we stop and reflect, things are actually really good when we stop and think about what we actually have, instead of what we don’t, and all that is happening…  

In times like these, it’s important to follow all of the suggested guidelines and precautions: Yes, wash your hands, stay a safe distance from others, and stay home as much as possible.  

Let’s break these 3 things down quickly, so you can get back to scrolling.

Washing your hands; yes, this is something we should have already been doing. Staying a safe distance from others is for their safety and ours as well, and it’s only temporary. Staying home; this is the equivalent to your Mom telling you you’re grounded,  only to send you to your room where all your toys are waiting for you! It’s not a punishment, it’s your home.  

Here are some ideas:  Read that book you’ve been meaning to read, call that person you’ve been meaning to call, start that in-home project you’ve been putting off.  Or, just relax, take a deep breath and enjoy this forced pause… It’s not the “end of the world” it’s only lots of people hoarding toilet paper!  

In all sincerity, this is a real crisis, it needs to be taken seriously, but don’t let it rob you of your joy, peace, and love. That stuff is yours, and when you worry about the things you can’t control, that takes your mind away from all the good stuff that’s going on in your life, and you lose control, and then, panic sets in!!

If you have been personally significantly and adversely affected, or if you have lost a loved one, please understand this article was written to support people suffering needlessly and to help them work through their fears, worries, and concerns.  Gratitude is a powerful coping mechanism, and it’s my sincere hope you can see the purity of my intention.  

My prescription is that before you consume and digest anything about this crisis,

(Social Media/ The News), list just one thing you can be grateful for.  And if that feels good, do it again, and again, and again, as many times as you need to, to be in a place where you can be grateful for what you have. Gratitude is a coping tool you can use at any time to go deep inside to calm your mind and put things in their proper perspective.  

If you have made it this far, please share in the comments your experience in coping with this crisis and post something you’re grateful for as a result of it.  In other words, things that you were taking for granted, that you now appreciate. Like your health for example, or bottled water, or eggs, or any of the modern conveniences we never think about…    

I’ll start.  I’m grateful my grandma lives in a place where they temporarily stopped allowing visitors in for the time being to protect her health, and also for the technology of phones (that we take for granted) to be able to talk with her.  And the reminder that we are only ever as close or as far as one phone call away…

Listed below, are a number of things to be grateful for locally in Louisville, KY.  

You might want to consider some of the things you could be grateful for in your own city or town. 

And if you want to feel like you have some control in all of this, ask yourself what’s one small random act of kindness you could do for someone else with absolutely no expectation of anything in return?  

In times of crisis, if we shift the focus from the event and ourselves to how we can help others, we can actually find things to be grateful for.  

In Gratitude, 

Chris

• LE&E will not shut off your service due to nonpayment until at least May 1. Late fees will be waived
• Louisville Water Company will not shut off service due to nonpayment. 
• Evictions will be suspended in Jefferson County
• Unemployment insurance waiting period and job-search requirement have been waived.
• JCPS has begun serving breakfast in addition to lunch service at specific locations.
• Soup kitchens continue to serve for now. 

Chris Palmore is the founder of Gratitudspace.com, read his story HERE

Connect by email at hello@gratitudespace.com/ Instagram/ Facebook