A 15-minute break from the news that will heal your soul
Friends,
It is worth pausing to consider that you have received dozens of emails about the virus from your church, schools, gym, movie theater, and local badminton club. You may be keeping up with local and international news more than you normally do, and many of your conversations online and in-person have been about the virus, too.
It was to a room full of people in a similar situation that C.S. Lewis once spoke these words:
The first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs.
I hope that you have created some parameters that provide rest from the minute-by-minute news cycle. If you have not, may I suggest that you intentionally set aside time each day to not intake news?
No hot takes on what should have been done better; no insider news about what is coming next.
Perhaps during your news-free time today, you might consider watching this 15-minute doodle of C.S. Lewis' full address.
I have returned many times in the past few days to this talk, and I trust it will be healing for you, too.
