I attended her class years ago and am still on the mailing list. This is part of what she sent out. I thought I'd repeat it here for all of you.

From Maria Sirois:

In 1665, the villagers of Eyam, a small town 35 miles southeast of Manchester, England, offered an act of profound sacrifice and bravery in the presence of the Bubonic Plague. Recognizing the contagious nature of the disease, and having lost townspeople already, the folk of Eyam, under the leadership of their rector, determined that they would carry the risk together as a town and cause no unnecessary harm to others. They created a circle of border stones around the town, left coins on the stones so that tradespeople from bordering towns could leave food and other supplies there, without risking contagion. No one left the town, no one new was allowed in. All who became struck in the town died in the presense of those they knew, those they loved. Because of their sacrifice, the disease progresson through the north of England slowed dramatically. After 14 months, the disease burned itself out in that region and the survivors of Eyam began to rebuild. (For a beautiful fictionalized account of this story, read The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks).

We are capable of extraordinary generosity in the worst moments.

While we are finding our way through our new global normal of work from home, kids at home, social distancing and the daily anxiety of protecting the vulnerable near and far, we do well to remember the following:

1. Remember who you are. We each belong to a heritage of courage. Somewhere within your lineages, those we are bonded to through blood, or vow, or purpose, have lived with courage. Remember who you are, who you are connected to and who most deeply inspires you today.

2. Perspective matters. As my colleague Liza commented, "Our grandparents lived through world wars. Our kids can manage to live hanging out on the couch for two weeks." Let us seek the larger perspectives. As my speaking engagements cancel, my carbon footprint of flying so often is reduced and the planet benefits. I'm not going to the gym, and I can attest now to the reality that beauty lives everywhere on the streets of the neighborhoods I walk. We can lift our heads and hearts up into perspective at any moment.

3. Meaning matters. To keep yourself rooted in meaning and a sense of your significance even as you worry about income or aloneness or the wellbeing of those you love, ask yourself, "Who am I doing this for?" I am distancing myself on behalf of those I love who are already immuno-compromised, who are in nursing homes, and who have few resources to support them. Bring those faces to mind. Send them notes, texts, calls - reach out - and just as importantly reach in and keep your behavior locked in the realm of purpose.

4. Build in Respite. Positive moments create respite from worry and fear. Laugh, dance, sing, knit, puzzle, walk, craft, paint, write, seek beauty, seek love, seek calm. Take a break from the news, from the routine and make space for one thing that lifts, inspires you and captivates you. There is no better time than hard times for the presence of the good in small, daily doses.

5. Reach out. Stay connected in all the ways that energize you. We do better - everywhere - in every part of this planet - when we are in this together. Here is where the best of social media can help - who hasn't smiled at the sight of Italians leaning out their balconies at 6:00 pm at night to sing together in the presence of quarantine? Text, call, zoom, share, wave while you walk and stay in the river of humanity as best you can while always, always, always seeking the good.

6. Ask a better question. The most potent, most energizing, most helpful resilience building question: Who might I be at my best in this moment? Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor, author of Man's Search for Meaning, taught us that those who survived concentration camps intact asked this question of themselves: "Who am I in the presence of this?" We can use this wisdom and bring ourselves toward our better selves in each moment by asking who we might be today, in this very moment, at our best.