In these uncertain times with COVID-19 looming all around us, it can be difficult to stay positive. The newscasts are full of stories of death and despair. What is a person to do? I am most fortunate to have a magnificent mentor/guru/friend named Sarah.
Sarah is a light to everyone who knows her, she is a modern-day Snow White. People and animals flock to her and I’m one of them. I can always call her when I am having a bad day and by the end of the conversation, I am laughing with a complete mood change. When speaking to Sarah about COVID-19, she mentions she is in awe of everyone pulling together, how courageous the first responders are, and how wonderful it is to see less smog in Los Angeles since there are fewer vehicles on the roads. Who thinks like that? It is a complete reset for me to attempt to think that way, but having Sarah’s positivity inspires, so I try.
Of course, I watch the news daily and read the COVID-19 updates from our New Mexico Governor’s office. But I also make a point of searching online for positive news to share with my friends and family. I recently found Some Good News with John Krasinski (a YouTube web series), only two episodes so far but hilarious!
One thing I do have in common with Sarah is the appreciation for the beauty you can find in nature. I took a walk at one of my favorite places in Santa Fe the day after a rainstorm. Along the path was a perfect flower, not quite blue, not quite purple, and wet with dewdrops. I was contemplating how I could possibly recreate the color with paint.
I must have been in place for some time when a jogger asked me if I was okay. I just said, “Have you ever seen such a beautiful color?” He just smiled and started jogging again. Then I noticed he turned around and came back to my location. He asked me if I could step back so he could take a closer look at the flower, which I did. He dug out his phone and took a picture, but I knew no camera on earth could capture what we saw. I dream of that color, it is burned in my mind and with my limited amount of paint, I have tried to duplicate the color with no luck. Guess where I’m headed when art supply stores are once again open to the public?
Staying positive is difficult to do these days but with a friend like Sarah, feel-good stories, and the color of a flower, it makes it just a little easier to get through.
