On a less shallow note, two years ago this week, myself and the members of my team at the NYDN along with 50+ journalists were let go. I was unemployed for seven months. 2016-2018 was a real testament to the importance of toughing it out because the rewards of diligence in periods of hardship are always plenty.
I know 2020 has been a piece of work for all of us and that it’s been particularly pressing for those who have lost work or had to relocate (or worse) due to coronavirus. Earlier this morning, I watched footage of a thunderstorm that was shot from a plane above the clouds. The storm was isolated and the rest of the sky was beautiful and clear, a swirl of cotton candy hues. It put a lot into perspective for me and I hope my interpretation of it can help you too. Storms, great and small, are isolated incidents, they just manage to feel all-consuming. When we’re caught in uncertainty for too long, it’s easy to lose sight of the world around us—sometimes we lose sight of ourselves. In many ways, each of us is a universe, so while you are the storm and the tree being shaken by harsh winds, you are also the cotton candy-hued sky. You are still extraordinary. You needn’t look elsewhere to see greatness, you simply need to view what you already have in a different way and build on that, and gently remind yourself daily of the other parts of you— the cotton candy hues, not just the isolated thunder.