Something unexpected happened at a meeting I recently attended. We were a small group of professionals talking about resilience and sustainability. During the meeting, we were asked to reflect on and share what had been challenging for us over the past few months.
There is so much that we process and respond to in our daily lives both personally and professionally. We may not readily identify or acknowledge the impact that these things have on us for any number of reasons. Perhaps it’s because we are so busy trying to make sure we check off all the boxes on our to-do lists, deliver on deadlines, care for the needs of others – you name it. Finding space for introspection can feel burdensome. It also requires a willingness to acknowledge our vulnerabilities, which admittedly would be easier to ignore at times.
What I learned from listening to my peers respond to this question and from sharing my own experience was that we were all feeling the weight of something, even if the specific challenges we identified were different. I felt a sense of catharsis when I acknowledged out loud that I am impacted by what is happening around me, and I found comfort in knowing this was a shared human experience.
I was reminded about the importance of pausing for this kind of reflection, even when it feels like every minute of the day has been spoken for already. It also reminded me that we should take the time to check in with the people in our lives. Whether it’s our significant others, our family and friends, or our co-workers, there is value in having these conversations.
I believe it is also incredibly important for us as parents to recognize that our children are impacted by what is happening around them, both positive and negative. I find myself thinking about this a lot lately. Sometimes that consists of trying to wrap my brain around how it must feel to be a child during a global pandemic. Other times, my son will ask me a question seemingly out of nowhere about something that I didn’t even know was on his radar. In those moments, I realize that he is constantly processing and responding to the world around him. He is forming opinions, navigating fears, identifying interests, and building relationships. It is overwhelming and remarkable all at once. I hope to never take that for granted.
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Meghan Ginzer, Esq., has been a member of the Board of Directors at Kids First Center for three years. She is a family law attorney at Pine Tree Legal Assistance