On Friday the 13th of March 2020 at 2:40 PM, I saw my students for the last time. Because of COVID 19, our school district decided to begin distance learning and we were ordered to Stay Home and Stay Safe.

In an effort to ease the fear that gripped us and comfort my middle school students, I began a series of videos that practiced our Mindful Moments in the classroom. These short videos provided a palpable connection with my kiddos in which I tried to teach them simple tools to escape boredom, increase creativity, and provide a meaningful escape from their daily lives. Many of my students did not leave their home at all for three months. Some of them were not allowed to walk around the block and many of them lived in close quarters. I began to develop videos in Spanish to reach my students' parents who felt terrified by the ensuing protests against racial injustice that tore at the heart of our beautiful city of Long Beach after the death of George Floyd.

Although the audience for the original videos were students ages 12-15 years old, my audience became adults as my experience changed during COVID. In a moment of divine synchronicity, my attention turned towards deepening my sense of mindfulness to harness my spiritual tools in an effort to survive during COVID. I began reading the works of Eckart Tolle and Jon Kabat-Zinn. I joined a Women's Ministry called Come to the Table, practiced walking meditation, formal meditation and yoga every day. During this time, I co-founded #PrayforLongBeach with Justin Rudd and Better Now, Living Mindfully podcasts on Anchor with Georgiana Lotfy. In #PrayforLongBeach, nearly eight individuals gathered to pray for the first responders, civic leaders and citizens of our beautiful city. We prayed twice a week for about 30 minutes and developed a strong, spiritual bond. Together with Come To the Table folks, we called ourselves Prayer Warriors. Each individual in that group received many blessings during this time.

Among those blessings came my consultation with JoyScore, a start up company and think tank around mind, body and life that provides actionable feedback to the end-user. With JoyScore, I continue to explore opportunities to develop conversations around joy, creativity, health, fitness and mindfulness.

Dear to my heart is the on-going conversation with my dear friend, Georgiana. After 25 years of friendship, we have birthed "Better Now, Living Mindfully," an intimate conversation about the joys and challenges of life. These talks with Georgiana have a grounding experience for me that deepens my appreciation for every breath I take. This is our offering to you, dear listener and reader. May these reflections ease any hardships you might experience and deepen your joy as we hold sacred space, a safe space to explore the experiences of the human heart.

Namaste,

Eli