Good morning,
How’s your stress these days? On a scale of 1 (mellow, relaxed, feeling like the third day of a ten-day beach vacation level) to 100 (head exploding, haven’t had a good night’s sleep in days, thinking of running away and then remembering there is nowhere to go level), how’s your stress?
First, we all score at least a 50 on the stress level just because of the pandemic. It has invaded all we do, our jobs and workplaces, our finances, our grocery shopping, our daily patterns, our entertainment, our fun. Lots of people are working from home. The home was once our other place where we didn’t work or at least did other work and now our work and our not-work lives are so blended we never really rest. The pandemic is like a bad house guest who has invaded our homes and won’t leave and just hangs around keeping us up at night, wanting to jump in the car with us every time we go anywhere. Think Cousin Eddie on National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. And even if you have denied that the pandemic is happening, denial takes a lot of energy and it causes stress too.
How are your friends and family doing? Add another 20 points. They are facing the pandemic too. Parents are worried about their children—what will school look like this fall? (Say a special prayer for teachers and school administrators. They sought careers in education because they love children; they never would have imagined that they would be front line, pandemic workers. Their health and the health of those they love are on the line too. Thinking a lot about the teachers who are part of our church.) College students are wondering what college will look like this fall. So many people are wondering if their jobs will continue and will they work at home or in the office? Our elderly are being especially cautious and they should be.
Add another 20 points for the general stress of life. Stuff happens. We break a bone. The dog gets sick. The washing machine quits. I am getting a new cell phone today and I dread the learning curve. Taxes were due yesterday. Hope you paid yours. Kids grow up and as they do, they try new things. Toddlers climb on the counter. Teenagers stay out somewhere later than they should. Is that a new tattoo? We age and we do need to get a new knee or a new hip, even though we don’t want to go near the hospital or clinic. Old worries surface like they always do. I have thought that God should give us a break during this pandemic, pause all the regular life stress so we can just address the pandemic, but life does not happen that way. 20 points just for being alive.
And then, joy or tragedy, something big happens. Milestones in life. A birth. A death. Retirement. Marriage. Divorce. Job layoff. Add 20 more points (or more) and we are way beyond the 100 point scale, we started with.
And during this pandemic, we carry much of our stress alone. The regular routines of life that bring us into close contact with others, even the reassurance when a co-worker nods at us on our way to our desk in the morning, even that is gone as we work from home. Our minds love to encounter other minds. It refreshes us. A hug is healing. Alone, our brains flounder, too often go to the dark side. Do not underestimate the power of loneliness.
What do we do with all this stress? Last night I noticed how many people were out in my neighborhood. Honestly, it’s like Mayberry—there is always someone out walking or working in their yard. It was so good to see people! And I know what they were doing. They were fighting stress. They were walking it off, gardening it off, mowing it off. Finding some sort of “it off” to relieve stress. What “it off” are you using? Praying it off? Biking it off? Golfing it off? Running it off? My favorite: reading it off. I have been to Switzerland, and Southern California and London in the last few weeks, through books, while I am reading it off.
There are unhealthy “it offs.” Drinking it off. Worrying it off. Blaming it off. They don’t work and they do more damage than good.
So with our stress levels at risk, how are you doing?
If you have discovered a great way to address stress, let me know and I will share it with the church.
We are, after all, the church. That does not make us exempt from stress and it does mean that we are unfaithful if we feel stress. It means that we support one another. We share the burden. It means that God knows our stress, walks with us, wants it off us too.
Beginning next Monday, the sanctuary will be open from 6-8 pm. The narthex doors will be open. (The ones by the bell.) If you would like to come and sit quietly in the sanctuary, you are welcome to. When I can, I will be there too, probably sitting outside on a lawn chair. You are welcome to visit me too. Please wear a mask and we will social distance.
And near the door, there will be a big garbage can. As you enter the sanctuary, you can deposit your stress there. For a few minutes, let all that is holy surround you.
Ann Weems wrote
In the godforsaken, obscene quicksand of life,
There is a deafening alleluia,
Rising from the souls
Of those who weep,
And of those who weep with those who weep.
If you watch, you will see
The hand of God
Putting the stars back in their skies
One by one.*
We will watch it. And trust.
Thinking of you.
Blessings
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines Iowa 50265
515-279-0826
Like us on Facebook or visit us at wdmumc.org.
We will worship online Sunday morning at 9:30 and in the parking lot on Sunday evening at 6:45. Two different sermons—in case you were wondering! Please social distance, wear a mask and bring a lawn chair if you plan to attend the parking lot worship. You can also remain in your car if you are more comfortable.
*From All Will Be Well: A Gathering of Healing Prayers, edited by Lyn Klug. Augsburg Books 1998.
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