The Daily Q: Zoom

Mary-Ann Sontag April 1, 2020

If I were to name a puppy in recognition of the pandemic, I think Zoom would be a good choice.

I Zoom for classes, for meetings, and for family cards.

I Zoom on the treadmill. I Zoom at my desk. I Zoom in the kitchen. I Zoom in pajamas. I Zoom with a cat. I Zoom with a dog. I Zoom with a group. I Zoom alone.

Yesterday I was doing Zoom with 30+ students when Claire decided she was annoyed with Daisy. Therefore, I Zoom in a brawl. [It last ten-seconds and was just a lot of noise — and me dumping my cup of water on them, which the students thought was pretty funny.]

Zoom is so versatile!

This New Normal is all very strange and interesting and mind blowing. And from talking to students yesterday — it is filled with losses.

I Zoom a lot of virtual hugs these days.

And speaking of one I would like to hug — iPup Kidd reminding all of us to Carry On!

Thank you, Marti, for sending along that photo!

I have a nudge for today — for all of us. Get outside. From talking to students about what helps, that seems to be a big one. I commit to doing that — how about you?

The Daily Q: Together

Mary-Ann Sontag March 31, 2020

Life in a pandemic feels a bit like the Universe is just piling it on.

Yesterday I learned that someone I know well is in the hospital and on a ventilator with Covid-19 (this person is improving — thankfully).

Because that was not quite enough, we also learned yesterday that community spread is happening in Missoula.

That is the kind of stuff humming along as background noise as we just try to play on (think Titanic and the band).

And so I taught classes and met with colleagues via Zoom, and ran Harper B for Better to and from the vet — and so on — while the Universe turned up the background noise on me.

I need some ear plugs.

Luckily, I have dogs! They are natural ear plugs — filters for the background noise that is the pandemic.

And we have our wonderful community.

Kay reports from Arizona that Lucas (Sparkler) is pleased to be part of the family business (aka #sparklespickups).

Well Done, Lucas! And thank you, Kay, for the update and photos — and for keeping us company.

#team

Nudge: Reach out to someone today — send a photo and an update. It will provide a much needed uplift for all involved.

We got this. Together.

The Daily Q: Dial Back

Mary-Ann Sontag March 30, 2020

Members of The Edge group have been discussing some issues with motivation.

I wish to observe it is tough to bloom when you are buried.

Not impossible, of course, but it looks different.

As it should.

The strange thing would be if we felt perfectly normal in these abnormal times.

So what do we do?

Morning in Montana has been a bit rough. Harper B for Breakfast Heave Ho has been throwing up and the internet keeps quitting on me when I work in my home office.

Both of these things are problematic and concerning, of course, but I observe my reactions are bigger than is warranted — under normal circumstances, that is.

But these are not normal times.

Bigger reactions is the New Normal — I understand that and it doesn’t concern me. I just know to talk myself down. Harper likely isn’t dying and my class at 8:00 a.m. WILL be okay — even if I have to use my iPhone to do it.

And so the first thing I suggest for flagging motivation is to just accept it as part of the New Normal. Do not make it worse by imagining there is something amiss.

There isn’t.

You continue to achieve by making it through each day. YAY YOU!

My second suggestion comes from #sparklespickups.

Sparkle is unconcerned by Covid-19 and appreciates that I am now home 24/7. This makes it so much easier to trade cookies for “stuff”!

I decided this morning to make Sparkle’s deliveries a prompt for a new habit (based on the Tiny Habits book).

Every time Sparkle delivers an item, I will ask her (and the dog[s] with her) to do one additional behavior before handing over a cookie.

Just one behavior — nothing crazy. Like “down,” cookie, release word.

I can do that.

And so I am accepting the lack of motivation as a temporary New Normal, and giving myself a micro-ized “solution” so that I do not feel as if all is lost.

That is Dialing Back. Doing and expecting and ACCEPTING less because we are doing so much more.