The UNKNOWN Zone

Hello, community! Greeting from day 3 of emergency closures in Summit County.

There is a surprising resonance for me between this time we are in, and when I first brought my beautiful children home from the hospital.

I nestled in my home and limited contact with others to prevent the spread of germs. Good friends and family dropped off food and the days became unpredictable and isolated. There was very little I could plan ahead of time. The word of the day was SURRENDER. Over and over again, I surrendered to what was.

I came to make friends with the present moment. I find myself drawing upon the lessons I learned as a new mother to help me cope and to bring a sense of peace and calm in the UNKNOWN ZONE. Maybe you too have experienced the UNKNOWN ZONE when you brought home a child, had a knee surgery, lost your job, had an unexpected illness in the family, suddenly had to move for work, etc. The point is, we can draw upon our past experiences to help guide us through this time.

Take what resonates with you and is useful, leave the rest.

During the time when my son would only sleep in his bed at home – nowhere else! – I took up a home yoga practice. Every day for 2 years I practiced during his nap. I look back on this time with great fondness. My life is so busy now, I don’t have a daily practice, but since the emergency order, I’ve found myself rolling out my mat once again. One can only binge watch Netflix for so long.

What is a simple practice you’ve always wanted to try? Now’s your chance.

When FEAR shows up – I try to practice my mothering skills. I imagine fear as my small, upset child. I draw them into my lap. I wrap my arms around my fear and hold it close and comfort it. I tell FEAR all the things it needs to hear to relax and settle in. This is my simple tool to transform fear into love.

I am inspired and in awe of our community’s response to this tremendous challenge. There are SO many resources out there. Here are a few of my favorites.

1. If you are wondering how to help, consider donating generously to the Park City Community Foundation’s “Community Response Fund”.  All funds will be deployed to trusted nonprofits who can address our most pressing needs.
2. If you need mental health counseling, here are 3 important community resources:
   1. The SAFE UT app allows you to text, call and chat with a mental health professional 24/7
   2. CONNECT Summit County has a wealth of connections to providers and resources to help you nurture your mental health during these stressful times.
   3. The Christian Center of Park City is providing food, rental and utility bill assistance to our community.  Their counseling center is providing sessions via an online, video chat service.  
3. The Summit County Health Department has the most up to date and accurate information on the state of covid-19 in our community.  
4. KPCW continues to interview our community leaders.  Find out the latest information for our community here.
5. The Park City Education Foundation has amazing resources for families to continue to learn and thrive while home.  Follow them on Facebook.

There are more amazing resources than I can list.  Do what you can, where you are, to stay health and safe.  Send LOVE and offer help.  We find out how strong we are when we are tested.  Now is the time.