Let's take it easy on ourselves (and others) during challenging times

During times of great change and uncertainty, it seems fundamentally important to be gentle with others and with ourselves. 

Along with most people I know, my family and I are learning new ways to navigate a new economy and an anxious world.  It is very easy to become angry or frustrated, and to direct that energy to whole groups of people ("those damned politicians"). 

Worse yet, it is easy to direct that negative energy inward and beat ourselves up for getting into that big mortgage, failing to save enough money or losing track of our values. 

Anger directed inward quickly turns into depression.  Anger directed outward can land you in jail.  

A bit of compassion, humility and a lot of humor can keep us grounded and poised for problem solving instead of finger pointing.  I think we should share more jokes, hold more doors for each other, bake more cookies, drink more tea and less coffee. 

I'm not suggesting tolerating really bad behavior or enabling someone to wallow in inertia when they really need to get moving.  True friends don't do that.

I am suggesting that we all encourage each other, forgive each other and treat ourselves with the same kindness. 

We'll have plenty of tough choices and difficult discussions ahead of us.  We'll get through them better with gentleness than with vitriol.