Today, we're giving a big shout out to local parks everywhere for offering a beautiful space to connect with family. From six feet apart we can still catch up on each other's day, talk about current events and wish each other well. From six feet apart we can see the light in each other's eyes, we can share tears if we're sad or laugh together over corny jokes. From six feet away we can listen to the same music and dance.
Stretching our legs together, yet apart, and keeping Nana from complete isolation. #EastGoshenPark on Paoli Pike feels like a gift every time we get to be there.
In a world where so much has changed overnight. #coronavirus We've chosen to focus on what is constant. Is family a constant? You bet. For better or worse, for most of us, family is forever. We celebrate when new members join and we mourn when people leave. And, if there's turmoil, it bothers us more than turmoil in any other group we belong to. That's why we have family therapy and not, book club therapy. Although some will argue that a book club itself is good therapy.
Families today come in all shapes and sizes and, in many ways, they are different now than in year's past. But, the stability of family is still one the strongest protections we humans have against harm. How so? Bonding. Whether bonds are formed at home, school, work or elsewhere, they give us a sense of connectedness to something outside ourselves. We build bonds with schoolmates and colleagues and those those with shared passions. But, more often than not, of all the bonds we form, the longest and strongest are those with our families. For our kids, there's a correlation between a sense of belonging at school and doing well academically. And long term, there's a correlation between strong family bonds and happiness. So, celebrate your family somehow today. Maybe with a socially distant walk in the park.
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