“The mind can go either direction under stress—

toward positive or toward negative: on or off.

Think of it as a spectrum whose extremes are

unconsciousness at the negative end and

hyperconsciousness at the positive end.

The way the mind will lean under stress

is strongly influenced by training.”

— Frank Herbert

“Dune”

I am feeling stress from a situation which in my past life I have mastered the preparation and execution of. I had learned to reduce the stress and wear and tear on my mind and ultimately my body. That this stress is back is not simply a sign of aging but a red flag telling me that I have stopped doing something that once was a regular part of my routine.

The result? I have lost immediate competency.

I know can find it. It is stored in my experience.

In that past, I operated unconsciously competent in the preparation and execution of traveling to conduct my work. Today, however, I needed to assert conscious competency to make my way through the laundry list of all the things that need to be in place for me to leave my cottage home on Lake Erie and drive out into the world to be with a client system face to face.

I pushed my way through the essentials. The dogs and the cat are safe and in places where they will be well cared for and have a little fun. My residences are secure — but I did forget to cancel the newspaper and make arrangements for the mail and packages to be picked up!

I used to be very efficient and tidy in packing my personal items and my work material. I must confess that I have all that I need — but it has a stuffed-turkey kind of feel vs. my tucked-sheet preferred packing standard.

Where are my lists for traveling?

How has my apparel changed so dramatically over the past eighteen months that I can’t find something professional to wear?

As I drive away, I know that I am winging it just a bit.

Has anyone else had this experience recently?

Last month, it was the discovery that I was rusty in my planning and preparation for making a speech. With great effort, it all came back to me, and I learned that I could still engage an audience. But oh! the work required to reboot my abilities.

What other competencies have I lost or put away during this pandemic?

To be a bit more positive, what new skills, abilities, and character have I sharpened in this new way of working and living and pursuing a life while the world battles a virus?

How about you? How have your life and habits changed? What do you need to reach into your toolkit to dust off?

I have a feeling that as we continue moving through a changing landscape. I will keep discovering things that I need to relearn. And things that I have learned to be effective, contributing, and happy in our way of navigating.

I think it means I need to slow it down to traverse these ‘speed bumps’ of renewed ability. And laugh each time I rediscover something I have lost.

What is your strategy for working and playing in our future world?

Leslie

“Do not let the memories of your past limit the potential of your future.

There are no limits to what you can achieve on your journey through life,

except in your mind.”

― Roy T. Bennett,

“The Light in the Heart”