It's Month Thirteen, People. Not Every Moment Can Be a Moment of Valor
Guest Contributor: Ashley Trout
We may have accomplished some amazing things during this global pandemic, and we have definitely gone through incredible trials and tribulations.
Did you take care of your father who moved in with you, or were you helpful to the mother whose basement you moved back into? Did you shepherd a winery to record high sales while keeping your staff safe? Did you successfully launch an entire school in your house? Did you learn how to save money or garden or did you walk your dog every damn day? Did you work a harvest during a pandemic and a smoke and fire crisis and still figure out how to get out of bed not screaming?
Whatever it was that shone bright during those months is what defined your response to this emergency, and it was amazing.
But we can also recognize that it’s month thirteen now, and the strength of our character that “rose to the occasion” during COVID has done so by now. All of those amazing things are old and it’s just… long. As I said, it’s month thirteen.
Not every moment can be a moment of valor.
April 2021 is more like the time you heroically ran a marathon only to realize that you parked your car yet another mile from the finish line. So now what? You’re sore and today was long, so what’s going to make this boring walk palatable.
Do you need to turn night time TV watching into a homespun Hitchcock film class where you can pretend that there’s a cultural goal to what you’re doing? Do you want to cook the entire month of May from just one cookbook so you feel intimately connected to a curated set of ideas thoughtfully created by a master you’ve always wanted to understand better? Do you want to tackle one wall of your toolshed each weekend until the thing is glimmeringly envy inducing? Maybe for no good reason at all you could over-research the best pair earbuds and overthink your first playlist and adventure with them.
Whatever your post-marathon-still-not-at-your-car-yet-cookie may be, go find it and hang out with it over the next month or two, because that’s where we’re at. You can either walk that walk with or without a cookie.
If you aren’t finding the motivation to keep your bedroom quite as clean or exercise as frequently, if you’re finding no joy in the things that once brought you joy, just know that many of us are experiencing these same feelings.
I think it’s because the drama is long gone, but we are still working on minutia. It’s clear that we will never again be our original selves, but no story of any day or any week now is anything of great interest. These are the hardest times. Life is both hard and boring.
It’s a brutal trifecta of long, isolated and uninspiring.
Brutal, yes, but not unending. We are SO CLOSE to the finish line. Dream up the next three things you’ll do as phases open up. Or maybe take a moment to relish the piece of the pandemic that you won’t let go of once it’s done, because that sliver of you is better that way. Aren’t you glad you’ve got that in your back pocket?
If nothing else, it’s been a fascinating ride.
Eventually, we’ll be in a very different place than we have been over the past year. And that will be lovely.
Thanks for reading,
Ashley
Ashley Trout is the owner and winemaker at Brook and Bull Wines in Walla Walla, Washington. She is also the founder of Vital Wines, which is organized as a non-profit and is intended to support better access to healthcare for vineyard and cellar workers. Typically, when not in month thirteen of the pandemic, she finds pleasure in coffee, chocolate and wine. She’s looking forward to getting back there.
What We're Reading:
Here's what has piqued our interest this week in the world of wine and mindfulness.
Companies Can’t Stop Overworking – The New York Times.com
Excess work isn’t good for anyone, employers included. So why are we still doing it?
The Pandemic is Improving. Why Are You Still So Miserable? – Medium.com
It’s okay if your mental health is not bouncing back. Here’s why.
What Ayurveda Says about Grieving - John Douillard's LifeSpa
The ayurvedic concept of sadhaka pitta helps us realize when we are putting up walls.
Six Tips to Avoid Being Overwhelmed by the News – Greater Good Science
Here's how to cope when all the negative news is triggering you.
Zoom fatigue is real and even worse for women. Stanford researchers explain why – San Francisco Chronicle
Zoom fatigue is real — but it’s even more acute and intense for women, new research from Stanford shows.
Meet the Community!
Here we meet some of the talented folks who make our community and profession so dynamic.
Michael Longerbeam, Direct to Consumer Manager, Dry Creek Vineyard (California USA)
Years in the Industry:
Seventeen years and going strong. I grew up in Livermore one of those “other” California wine country appellations, so the wine bug bit me when I was young. After college, I worked in Silicon Valley doing my time in high tech Direct Marketing. As a result, I bring a unique set of skills to the wine industry…analysis, more analysis, a deep curiosity, metrics, tech, and all things nerd. Being based in agriculture, the wine industry has historically lacked these skills. Some of my greatest accomplishments in wine DTC are due to that unique skill set…i.e. doubling, tripling, quadrupling DTC wine revenue.
My Top Challenge to Wellness:
Allow me to overthink this question. Which is the answer to the question. My own analytical mind has been both a benefit and a challenge. Do you know one of the greatest benefits of DTC/Direct Marketing? You can measure everything. Do you know one of the great challenges of DTC/Direct Marketing? You can measure everything. Knowing what to focus on to achieve your goals is as important as having the necessary skills to achieve your goals. Otherwise, you're just spinning your wheels.
How I Keep It Together to Stay Well:
Humor, family, yoga/meditation, faith, exercise, community, doing what it takes to shut down my busy mind when it is not serving me.
What Inspires Me:
People who persevere despite multiple setbacks. In deciding that the only true failure is giving up, individuals set themselves up for a life of great accomplishments.
A Quote I Love:
If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a month, get married.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else.
~ Chinese proverb
You can connect with Michael on Facebook and Linkedin.
This Week's Reminder:
Keep these short meditations and inspirations bookmarked for when you need them.
A 10-Minute Gratitude Practice to Notice, Shift, and Rewire Your Brain– Mindful.org
When things don’t go according to plan, it’s easy to spot all the ways things have gone wrong. This gratitude practice is designed to change that.
Shop our ABG Merchandise
Hydration, safety and style are all possible with ABG Merch.
The offerings are a small list of high quality items that we have road-tested and reviewed, and hope they help support your self-care, while staying hydrated, safe, and stylish! << Check it out here >>
