Holden Voices: Blog

Poems, stories, and reflections, written by faculty, staff, and volunteers currently serving in the Village.

March 30, 2020 at 12:00 PM

Day 15

When one of my close friends moved to another country, we found that asking, “How are you?” on the phone or via text never gave us the depth of insight into each other’s worlds that we desired. It felt like we had to reduce the range of our emotions to a single word answer.

Instead, we started asking each other, “How is your heart?” That simple shift in phrasing helped us name the many different feelings we held at once, and acknowledge the tensions between them.

I feel like my emotions have been all over the place, even in one day:

• Joy from the delicate little flowers on my houseplant
• Anger that there isn’t enough protective gear for medical workers
• Calmness as I watch wisps of steam rise from my mug of tea 
• Fear of loved ones or myself becoming ill
• Weariness from adjusting to a new routine
• Sadness from missing seeing you all
• Worry about my grandma’s health
• Gratitude for sparkly snow, muddy paths, and birds and chipmunks reemerging

Some people in our community have expressed what is on their hearts in the beautiful form of poetry for today’s QQ.

How is your heart? Whatever you may be feeling is valid, and please know that you are not alone as we react to these uncharted times.

In Peace,
Callie

Callie Mabry is Writer/Editor at Holden Village. This column was originally published on March 23, 2020 in a daily newsletter, "The Quarantine Quarter," which is compiled by various staff members and sent to all Villagers.