COVID-19
I know that you are fed up the isolation. I most certainly am……but I have to say this has been a curious time. It is an amazing study in human character. It’s wonderful that we all come in such different configurations with such differing temperaments. For some this is not a time to freak out, but a time to find rest from a mind-boggling schedule. For others it is excruciating and mind-numbing and extremely difficult to get through. But for all of us, this can be a time of self-reflection, a time to reinforce our personal strengths as well as time to really focus on what we would like to do differently when we are back in full circulation.
But something good is has come from what is bad. Have you seen the latest snapshots of our environment? Clean air! Clear waters! Wildlife roaming free in mass collectives! All over the world? It is incredible that this is everywhere! It is brilliant for those of us who relish in such freedoms. Not everybody does but even so, it’s like going backward in time in a good way……what about the gas prices, eh…yeh…but we’re not really driving anywhere either..mmm…like a double-edged sword.
There is so much that we can take from this time of isolation. For those who are anxious, now might be a good time to truly begin to practice a more mindful approach to life. There is so much to contemplate. Would now be a good time to notice the details of your environment and take it all in?
I walked outside the other evening and looked up. I was hoping to see more stars in the sky but, alas, I live in the city and no such luck. But I did notice there were a few planes flying high. I started to wonder why they were there? We’re in the middle of a pandemic!? Where are they going? I wondered. Who was in them? That led me to think more about how rare the moment was and how I was living in a moment like none other. I was transfixed by the wonderment of it all and I was able to feel peace in the midst of this medical minefield.
That is just one example of how we may take this time and turn it into something else: a time to learn, a time to grow, a time to connect like they used to. Even though the media is full of dooms-day scenarios and political scorn, this can be a time when we check our depression and challenge our thinking.
Haven’t we already gotten used to social distancing? We talk via text. Hasn’t it gotten more convenient to facetime someone even if she is sitting across the room. I am amazed when I’m in a crowd (when I could be in a crowd) how many people have earbuds in and blank looks on their faces or are looking downward into a tiny little screen without looking up once. Aren’t our conversations monosyllabic almost or surface-level at least? Maybe we have become a depressed society because we think when we look at those pictures of everyone else’s lives, those pictures that tell us that everyone has it so much better than we do, we believe what we see and we agree with our negative thinking. We hear it so loudly when no one else can. And we embrace the idea that we do not have enough or that we are not good enough.
So, what would be different if COVID taught us that we could be different? What if after this is all over, we talked to more strangers? What if we challenged those negative beliefs more? What if we told someone his tone scared us when he spoke or that we feel unheard? What if we asked someone to pray for us and was actually truthful about why? What would be different if we smiled more, laughed more, had more hope, apologized to someone we hurt, admitted we were wrong? What would be different if we chose to love who we are and to accept our flaws without judgment? What would be different if we actually celebrated our strengths and recognized the God-given value in everyone including ourselves. What if we had patience? What if we just lived?
So anxious or depressed, open-minded or hurt, curious or curmudgeon, loving or angry, when COVID-19 stops, what will it have taught you? What will you change? What will you choose to open your mind to, or listen to, or notice, or search for that is helpful or different or awesome or inspiring? What will you see with the eyes of a child? What will you recognize that you know because of all your experience? What will you choose to explore that you never have before? What will COVID-19 have taught you when it is over?
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