I’ve been quiet these past 6 months. Just as I’ve worked through my thoughts and feel ready to share what I’ve been experiencing and learning, the next thing happens and I’m floundering again, feeling like whatever I could have added to the conversation is now irrelevant. I know I’m not alone in this.

I had thoughts in March and April regarding our displaced fears and perceptions on death; things I’m still sorting through. Then it was heading into summer and an iota of normalcy in our rural-country life. Now we sit on the precipice of unknowns once again, as we wait to hear the decisions regarding what schooling will look like.

My father in law said this past week to me, “Whatever is decided is going to be temporary.” This whole thing started with only two weeks, then 6 weeks, then two months, and now here we are 5 months later, 145 days since the world imploded. The temporary constantly being reshaped.

We have all sat waiting, with batted breath, to find out when we have permission to go about our lives, to do life without this pervasive fear. Mentally at war with ourselves, our neighbors, and a barrage of invisible and unknown entities.

This time of year is usually filled with excitement for Autumn, a return to schedules and normalcy, crisp mornings, new crayons, and empty notebooks. Now there is just anxiety and an endless sea of questions and unknowns.

My suggestion: Plan and schedule for what you can control. You know you’re going to need dinners…meal plan. You know you’re going to need some school supplies….get them. You know you are going to need to have a schedule…start thinking about your routines.

For a lot of us this is completely overwhelming. We get caught up in all of the unknown and forget to think about the little things that we can control and do know. Focus on those. Set daily or weekly goals for things you’d like to accomplish.

If you’re needing help in this area I HIGHLY suggest listening to MacKenzie Koppa’s Cultivating the Lovely podcast episode on Planning and Prepping for a Crazy Fall! She goes into details about using Plan to Eat, Trello, and Postmates (use code LOVELY100 for a $100 FREE delivery credit) to streamline your Autumn.

She’s also planning to do a bunch of lives on Instagram (with deep dives and 1 on 1 coaching in the Patreon group) going into detail about how to use the tools available to you to keep the chaos to a minimum.

We have to take those first steps to reclaiming our lives and figuring out how to plan for what we do know, even if it’s just in the little things.