“What is the biggest lesson you learned during this crisis,” was a question recently posed to me. I then asked my staff. It’s been on my mind. I have a business-minded answer, yet what keeps popping into my head is how nature got me through. I keep remembering all the times I took a break while working at home and looked out my windows. I live in the country surrounded by nature and I have lots of windows. Today I paused to watch a Great Blue Heron. She is magnificent. You can easily miss her as she blends in with the environment so well. She is calm and stoic. Then she’ll lift a leg and move slightly forward. It’s as slow as the moon moving across the sky. Talk about calming. Today she was standing on the concrete damn at the end of my pond. A turtle showed up and wanted to cross the damn; it had somewhere to go. The heron had to move out of its way. I actually giggled out loud, as she seemed defiant, aghast, and dismayed that this turtle made her move out of its way.

In the last several months I’ve had countless moments like this. I’ve watched deer, fox, muskrat, Baltimore orioles, pileated woodpeckers, and flowers slowly blooming. What I learned is that these little things make the biggest difference in the midst of a struggle. These are joyful exuberant moments. They bring a smile and a sense of calmness, and even a giggle. I knew this before the crisis. I realize gratitude and nature can make life grand. In this time, it hit home even more.

I’ve been worried about my clients and our industry. I’ve cringed reading a tweet from someone being laid off, and how they had put their heart and soul into this work we do. I’ve read the struggle from the leaders who are working endless hours at home to save their staff, to pivot in how they bring out their offerings, in how they are searching for new revenue streams, and sometimes how they want to quit and give up because it can feel hopeless. Yet, they keep going. They plow through. They send encouragement to others.

What I’ve learned is what you do is more important than ever. You are teaching the world why nature is important; how it makes us healthier and maybe better people. Or as a museum, you give people a moment to think about history or a piece of art. What if what you are doing is what gets people through? You give them that moment to pause and go, “wow.” They can be grateful in that moment and stop and smile. They can forget their worries and fears for a bunch of moments you offer. This may inspire them, just like the leaders in our world, to plow through, to embrace life right now.

The biggest lesson learned is the work we do makes the world a better place.

P.S. You could offer your space as a healing environment. This blog gives suggestions on that.