​Bonjour Royal Friends! 

 The times are a tad challenging, aren’t they?  What with the Corona virus pandemic swirling around like a sneaky fog, everyone seems to be on edge and no one really knows what’s next. When we hear about the hoarding that is allegedly happening, it makes us all feel even more fearful. Lengthy school closures, business suspensions, event evaporations, social distancing, and self-imposed sieges make the situation seem even worse. The uncertainty of it all nibbles at our resilience reserves. The setting is ripe for high anxiety. Doesn’t it make you want to go rogue and knock down a few Corona’s with your girl gang? Bad joke. Everyone knows I don’t drink beer.

Today I’d like to teach you a strategy that I myself am using to help me stay positive and to keep my smile from slinking off into the setting sun. I say this, even as I have drains hanging out of my armpits like dog leashes from recent surgery.  It’s a tad uncomfortable, especially when trying to sleep. During the day I have to wear button down shirts three times too big to hide the apparatus. Not my best princess look.

The good news is, the drains are ready to come out today! The not so good news is– the drains cannot come out today!  Apparently enough of the hospital staff is working remotely to create a staffing crunch. I have to wait until the end of the week to get my drains removed. So now I have to stay uncomfortable-ish for a few more days. What a giant “drain” in the ass.

Here’s what I heard deep down inside this morning, some inner words of wisdom calling to me to diminish my overall anxiety and unhappiness about, well, everything: “Make like a Truffle Hunter and Sniff out the Benefits.”  That’s right. My Inner Life Force sent me that message and I am passing it on to you. Make like a Truffle Hunter and sniff out the benefits.

I’m relatively sure you’ve seen the classic French forest truffle-hunting piggies who, at the behest of their human handlers, go sniffing around the ground for those prized, mushroom-like jewels hidden from view beneath the cool black earth.The whole process of finding truffles is a dirty job, at best. Dirty shoes, mud splattered everywhere, a pocket full of slime, hands untouchable with grime until soap and water hits them. But anyone who’s been in Wegman’s recently might know this: Truffles might come from dunged-up dirt, but they aren’t called Black Diamonds for nothing. Where they live may be dark and dirty, but the hidden benefits of finding them are legendary.

When we go through tough times,  the key is to act like a Truffle Hunter and look for the benefits. This is no easy task right now.  People are getting sick. Some are dying. We’re afraid of dying.  Businesses are or might go a’ bust. Entertainment is shutting down. Dreams pursued for years are getting kiboshed. Hard to think there could be good lurking around the corner.  I am reminded of the old wise crack, “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” But here’s my take on that. At some point, if Mrs. Lincoln doesn’t want to sink for the rest of her life, she ought to find something good about the show.

I am going to do my benefits homework and find what’s good about what is happening. Since I work at my palace desk, all this social-distancing is not giving me more time. But fear of germs did just prompt me to make my first on-line grocery haul! That was sort of liberating. That will give me about an hour and a half extra each week. Never mind that the store is so backed up,  I am going to have to wait a week to get my groceries. Speaking of groceries, since we won’t be going out to eat-I’m going to have to get my healthy cooking groove into even higher gear. And due to social distancing, I’m sure I’ll be reaching out to friends by phone more actively instead of letting time get away from us. Isolation be gone! These are just a few perks. Maybe for someone else who never worked remotely but wanted to, working from home because of the virus could be just the thing to prove to her boss that it’s feasible. Definite benefit. On a broader scale, the world is upping its learning curve on how to work together to handle a pandemic. That’s certainly a plus. 

And as for these dog leashes still attached under my arms and drilling into my body, here’s the benefit of having to wait. As the person who stops banging his head against a wall and then looks up and says, “Boy, does that feel better,” I know I will truly appreciate, perhaps more than before, how good I truly feel when these drains are out!  

Do you have any benefits that you have realized from either social-distancing or any other measures you’ve had to take because of the Corona virus scare? I invite you to tell us!

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 Hugs, love, & live your royally happy life! And I order you to stay healthy!

P.S. My new book, BONJOUR, BREAST CANCER⏤I’M STILL SMILING! IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON! 🎉🎉🍾ORDER HERE: https://amzn.to/2MFKCc7.