In these particular times of uncertainty and unknowns I notice that I am attracted to people who help me keep a balance in my life, by reminding me to look on the light-side. These people often have a wide perspective of the world. They bring a view of what is going on in the present into a perspective that includes our history and our place on the planet. They also frequently have a quirky and irreverent sense of humour. An example of this is from our lovely, local bookstore which displayed this notice this week.
Thinking about the need to remember our history (and our place on the planet) I have appreciated a post a friend put on Facebook recently. It was a piece of writing from C.S.Lewis who, in post-second-world-war Britain was speaking to someone who was very anxious about the dangers of the mis-use of the atom bomb which devastated Japan. C.S. Lewis said that throughout history people of every time and place have lived with fear and anxiety as they imagined themselves or those they love, dying or suffering from chronic pain as a result of war, plagues, illness, accidents and trauma. He went on to say, “Do not let us begin to exaggerate the novelty of our situation”. While, of course, there are threats and dangers that we live with today - there have always been. And he advises us to not become overly concerned about these threats and dangers - imagining terrible scenarios does nothing to help us cope with the ordinary every-day stress of our daily lives. C.S. Lewis goes on to say, “The first action is to pull ourselves together - let’s keep focussing on those things that bring pleasure and satisfaction.”
So I would add, while we do all we can to live good lives, let’s make sure we find people who are optimistic and positive and can make us smile. I’m sure our heart-health will benefit.