You know the idea of choosing a word at the beginning of each year, to set an intention for what you want the year to be? I haven’t really done that before; I have never been able to find a word that was the right fit and that would stick for the entire year.

The Corona virus seems to have changed that. It began in a (digital) yoga class when the teacher asked us to set an intention for the class. For several classes I cycled through steady, stable, strong, healthy, calm … until finally settling on steady, which seems to me to encompass all of the others and more.

How do I stay steady at this time? Let me say, first of all, that I don’t always. So the question is equally, how do I regain my balance after I stumble?

It’s all about the small things, and about staying in the present. Right now I can’t deal with thinking about when this will end and what the world will look like then. Instead we try to do cozy things, now that the three of us are together all the time while kindergarden is closed and we work from home, such as eating waffles or dancing to pirate songs on the kitchen floor. Going for walks in the neighbourhood. A bit of photograph when the mood strikes. Some alone time each day.

Yoga is crucial. A local studio that I have wanted to attend but never found the time for, has moved all their classes online, and I do a class every day. It is a terrific way of shedding worries for a time while trying to stay at least moderately in shape.

However you cope with the world as it currently is, I hope you are doing as well as possible right now. And if you have a word that fits your world right now, and want to tell us about it in the comments, I would be thrilled to hear what it is.

Warm wishes, Jenny G.