In the midst of this pandemic, how are you separating the news from noise? What are you allowing your mind to listen and react to? Listen to Barry and Steve as they share some thoughts and observations on our current situation.

PS- Watch until the very end to see how Barry is coping.

Transcript

Steve: Hey guys, Barry and I were talking, just really just a few moments ago, and he caught me just being really about a lot of the news that keeps coming up. We were talking about some certain things that are happening across the country, and we’re just baffled by what’s going on. Barry challenged me, and we wanted to share our conversation with you guys. It reminded me of a time back in college. My college coach would always say, “Control what you can control, control the controllables. You play between the whistles and within the rules.” On that note, Barry, what would you say to our clients?

Barry: Well, Steve, you and I were talking, and I feel what everyone else feels. It just feels like there's this tsunami of constant negative news, whether it's economic, real, or imagined. So much of it is hypothetical. It's almost to the extremes. Medical news that just keeps coming and keeps coming and keeps coming in.

I shared with Steve, when I left here last Thursday before the long Easter weekend, I was feeling it and I made a decision Thursday to shut off all social media. I didn't look at any social media. I didn't look at any news for the entire long weekend. I'm telling you, it was like taking a breath of fresh air. And it just reminded me that it's really, really important in these times that we, we pay attention to what we're paying attention to. And, if need be, do that for our own health to make sure that we can get through this because our families need stability from us. They need a level perspective, and kids need that. I think that we just need to be careful about what we're watching, how much we're watching of that stuff.

I was telling Steve too, I was reminded, my wife goes out and we've got a bird feeder that sits not too far from a kitchen window. She puts bird feed in that every morning. It's so funny because regardless of the weather, she goes out barefoot. Now there's some stones that she walks on, but it's just always funny to me, but she is so faithful about feeding. As soon as she does, chipmunks, squirrels and birds show up. And rabbits, and they come. And they just eat and they just eat and they fly around. They run around, they do what they do. You know what? They're not worried about what's going on, and that's every day, regardless of the weather. Every day, regardless of the weather, their greatest concern is whether or not our white English setter is going to bolt out the back door and come charge them. If she does, they fly away or they run up the tree. As soon as she's gone to her thing, they come back down and start eating again. It's just a reminder that there's a simplicity of life that I think is really, really important that we lose when we start paying attention to all the stuff that's going on around us.

I think oftentimes of what would it been like five generations ago. How would they have dealt with things like this, and how would they have gone about their daily live? They had no choice but to go about their daily lives. And so I think it's just a good reminder for us as we continue on working through this process. It's going to get better. It may be a while, but it's going to get better. And so we would just encourage you as we're challenging one another. As I said earlier, pay attention to what you're paying attention to and if you're starting to feel that weight, turn stuff off. Go for a walk. Take up a new hobby. Read a book.

I've played guitar for a long time. I'm not very good at all, but I've played more in the last three weeks than I've played in a long, long time. In fact, I brought an old guitar from home and it's sitting over in the corner of my office now, and I pick it up from time to time and play it in here.

So, just do those types of things too, to remind yourself of the important yet simple things that get us through the days.

Steve: I guess to sum it up, control what you can control. That means control what's being put in your mind. Play between the whistles, play between the play,between the whistles within the roles. Don't do anything illegal. Y'all stay safe out there.