Take a moment to ponder: where do you have your roots? Where are you established? Is it a place, your family? Or is it your career, maybe your possessions? Reflecting on these questions can lead to a deeper understanding of your values and beliefs.
We live in a time of great anxiety. Stock market portfolios look shaky. We fight over values and may even compromise our values because the ends justify the means.
I originally posted this on June 19, 2020. I find it especially interesting now that the WHO recently declared the global COVID health emergency is over. It only took three years. May it be a very long time before we see another one. In the meantime, I must ask: why do you look so different?
For the last couple of weeks, my wife and I traveled for our daughter’s wedding. It’s been touch and go for the last several months. Would COVID-19 postpone the wedding? Would we have to limit the guests to just ten people? Would quarantine prevent us from going?
As we made our journey, we saw many people in masks. We wore ours when we were in stores. We even experienced our first COVID-19 checkpoint. Modern travel in the USA never felt so adventurous.
Now that we’re back, we are hearing that the first wave of the pandemic isn’t over and that there may be more constraints coming. We are just glad we were able to have the wedding and celebrate our daughter and new son-in-law.
When I drew this cartoon earlier, I thought of how it will be when more churches will be meeting again. Our local church begins its first in-person services this Sunday. Undoubtedly, there will be people in masks, which may make church a little awkward as we speak through masks or are concerned about someone who forgot we are still supposed to follow social distancing guidelines.
So do you look different these days? Are you a little more anxious? Are you more concerned about your health than ever? Do you waffle between wearing a mask in public and having faith that this is not as big of a deal as some make it?
Mask or not, I think we all look a little different these days. Let’s remember to show grace and compassion to those who are fearful. And to those with fear and anxiety, know that so many understand and are wrestling with these questions too. We’ll get through this time of health and economic uncertainty. Have patience and courage. And it’s still a good idea to wear that mask!
I drew this cartoon for the June 2020 CHOGNews.
Standardized tests can be scary for students. I remember getting nervous if there was any test that I knew was important. And I saw how my kids had to endure them. So that inspired this standardized tests cartoon.
There are pros and cons to using them. And let’s face it: no one likes standardized tests! But for adults, none of our tests are standard.
We can worry about all sorts of things. Are the kids okay? What about that strange noise coming from the car? What about that pain that I’m feeling in my gut? Could what happened to that family on the news happen to us? All the potential anxiety led to this worry about worrying cartoon.
So apparently this can lead to Generalized Anxiety Disorder. There is a time to be concerned that our worry is out of control. Here is an article to help us decide when we need to seek help.
Worry is an addiction. As a kid, I worried about whether I would ever grow up. I worried if that rough-talking kid would turn on me and become my bully. I worried about being good enough or just being good!
We all have our fears and worries. A dentist appointment ranks up there with the fear of public speaking and dangerous animals. I’m sorry but this cartoon from the past probably won’t help ease your dental anxiety.
However, there are some good resources out there for those suffering this fear.