I just took a yoga class in my guest bedroom. The instructor was in her house, and the other students were in their houses. We communicated through the video conferencing app known as Zoom. In fact, all my in-person meetings this week are virtual. This is what flattening the curve looks like. I am now Zooming so much, I was already Zooming when someone else tried to Zoom me for a meeting about how to use Zoom!

I would like to think that I am being calm about all the upheaval we are currently experiencing. Unlike my sister, I haven’t had to cancel a vacation. Unlike my husband, I haven’t had to move my office into our house (it’s already here). Unlike my nephew, my classes have not been canceled. The biggest thing I’ve had to give up so far is a concert that they are hoping to reschedule.

Unfortunately, it feels a lot worse than I think it should. The changes I am dealing with may be relatively minor, but they don’t feel that way. They are stressing me out. I’m having to learn fast, revamp my calendar, and find quiet spaces for lots of video calls. I’m not actively worried about getting sick, but I am getting anxious much more easily than usual. All this change is affecting me.

Fortunately, I came across this quote:

The most valuable thing for life never changes by time or place — it is to be honest and cheerful, to find happiness in what you have, and to have courage in hardships.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

There is plenty for me to be happy about. I’m with my beloved family, with a roof over my head, food in the pantry, and we haven’t run out of toilet paper (yet). Everyone is currently healthy, we can all work from home, and there are very few things we have to go out for right now.

Thanks to the internet, we have access to the whole world right from our house. We can keep up with the news and our loved ones while we flatten the curve. As I type, my nephew is learning how to make YouTube videos (by watching YouTube videos). We can educate and even entertain ourselves from our sofa.

I saw this meme on Facebook.

Yes, we’re trapped at home and having to miss out on things we planned to do. Things are scary and could get downright awful. But we are all in this together. We have ways to stay in touch without the risk of actually touching. Staying home indefinitely is hard, but things could be a lot harder.

So, I am making the choice to be cheerful. I will post jokes on Facebook and inspiring quotes on my blog. I’ll write messages and make phone calls to see how my friends are doing during these odd, strained days. I’ll keep my spirits up, look for the silver linings, and be grateful for all the good things in my life.

And I will share the happy things with you whenever I can.

What is your biggest stress during this challenging time? Are you finding silver linings during these crazy times? What are you grateful for?