Maren's Musings

It goes without saying that we are all living with massive amounts of upheaval.   Our daily routines, our jobs (or lack thereof), all the stuff we have to juggle… look quite different than they did just a week or so ago.   To make matters worse, we might feel cut off from many of our support systems or coping mechanisms.   No longer can you simply go out and have a coffee with a friend.   Places of worship, yoga studios, your local YMCA, a favorite local taproom, all those places shuttered up.   I know many of us are finding innovative ways to “virtually gather” (hello Zoom!), and for that I am deeply grateful.   A side-effect coming out of this crisis is that we are thinking in new and creative ways, and that is awesome.   Yet I still miss the simple walk with a friend, without worrying if we are at least 6 feet apart.   I miss being able to focus on certain tasks without the never-ending chorus of kids needing something from me....

So yeah… we’re only a few days into this whole COVID-19/Corona-virus hysteria in the U.S., and already I am hungry for any news that is not Corona-virus related!   That’s wishful thinking though… as reality is showing us that this is not going away anytime soon! In literally a matter of days, our lives have been radically altered.   A rapid switch to e-learning, the workforce shifting heavily to at-home and on-line mode, and many of our favorite past times – sports, theatre, zoos and more – having to shutter their doors for an indeterminate amount of time.  Everything we’ve taken for granted – a simple trip to the grocery store, going out to a movie, how close we might be seated to others at a restaurant, and more – we now need to think carefully about.  As pastoral leaders, many of us are trying to figure out how to continue worship, education, and care for others, without being physically together for a time. No matter who we are or what we d...

Do you remember the late 90s song, “Barbie Girl?”   You know, the one with the annoyingly catchy, can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head refrain, “I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world, life in plastic, it’s fantastic.”   I was a senior in high school when that song came out, and while I remember the refrain, I don’t think I paid a whole lot of attention to the rest of the lyrics.   It was just a “catchy song.” So why have I been thinking about this song lately, you may ask?!   Well, I’ve been reading an amazing book that deals with the stress we experience specifically as women. It’s entitled, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.  Twin sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski combine their brilliantly scientific minds to take on stress and big topics like - how in the world are women supposed to live a joyful and fulfilled life in the midst of a sexist world?!    In a world that is constantly telling women we are too fat, ...