Ruby Slippers

I was talking to my Dad recently about quarantine and going out. He made a comment that going out not was ‘not for old people right now,’ and I added ‘or people with pre-existing conditions’ and raised my hand. Without missing a beat, he replied, ‘you had pre-existing conditions before Covid – you were beautiful and intelligent and wonderful.’”

How’s that for some perspective?

It’s easy to get caught up in negativity, isn’t it? So simple to fixate on thoughts like “I can’t,” “I’m stuck,” “I’ve lost” or “it’s not fair,” and to lose sight of the things that are positive, wonderful and true about ourselves.

Replace “before Covid” in the sentence above with a word or phrase that describes a hurt in life. Alopecia. Autoimmune problems. Job concerns. Failure or disappointment in some area. I think that like Dorothy with her ruby slippers, sometimes we need someone else to remind us that we have had power all along. We can't just return "home" to the time before a particular difficulty began, but we can be reminded of who we were and still are.

What beautiful "pre-existing conditions" do you need to remember about yourself and your life today?