I always feel better when I have something to look forward to. And that’s not been easy during the last 16 months when we’ve had to be cautious, stay our distance from other people, go out only when necessary. We have all had to find ways to cope with our individual situations and do our best we could. In the U.S. the situation has slowly been changing and now we can see relatives, friends whom we may not have seen for a very long time. A real hug feels so good, so reassuring. It makes us feel alive.

In speaking with numerous people I’m learning that many are struggling a bit with moving forward. They still feel very cautious, afraid of being around strangers. We need to practice patience, with ourselves and with others, to not judge because we don’t know what others are going through. The best thing for all of us is to be kind, patient and not judge others. We don’t walk in their shoes.

Tai Chi has been and continues to be helpful to me and my students. We intentionally move and breathe and empty out our minds of thoughts, to-dos, judgments. It’s a wonderful practice for centering and coping with difficult times and frustrating days. It helps us be kind with ourselves.

We need to continue with our centering practices and also plan something specific to look forward to, a visit with family out of town, a meal at a restaurant, starting to go to our health club to find our abs again. Planning a specific activity can lift our spirits, give us something fun to look forward to and yes, even cause us to take time to plan what outfit to wear.