“One day you’re waiting for the sky to fall
The next you’re dazzled by the beauty of it all”

I was listening to a cool chill mix on Spotify the other day, and they played Bruce Cockburn’s Lovers in a Dangerous Time. This line seemed to personify how we’re all feeling right now, waiting for the sky to fall like Chicken Little*.

We all have different coping mechanisms. I’m ashamed to admit mine is to retreat into my writing and to my little lake where I can watch the mist rise on the shoreline, listen to the birdsong, and wait for the spring crocuses to appear. Escapism at its finest.

In my heart, I know this is no solution. I wish I was a better person. I wish I was like Carol, the wife of a fellow proctor at Queen’s University who officially retired years ago but keeps working at an outreach program operating out of one of the churches in Kingston, helping people on the street get warm food and shelter. Her response to the unfathomable problem of homelessness and drug use is to volunteer and make a difference.

Or like the millions of Americans in all 50 US states who took to the streets in the No Kings protests yesterday to raise their voices against Trump and his administration’s policies.

That’s not me. I choose to cope by living my small life, making a difference where I can.

Perhaps the ever wise and socially and environmentally conscious Cockburn has provided us with the answer. When the world seems out of control, look for the dazzling beauty in it all.

A magnificent sunrise or sunset. A child’s smile or laughter. The first snow drops or bluebells peeping through the frozen ground. Signs of hope and renewal.

Now it’s your turn to share. What do you do to cope when the world seems to be falling apart and you’re waiting for the sky to fall? Leave a comment below.

 *a European folk tale about a chicken who believes the world is ending