What I’ve Learned to Live Without and Other Life Lessons from the Global Pandemic
March 15, 2020
That was my last day of “normal”. We knew something was on the horizon. The increasingly empty store shelves told us that. But at that very moment, we were still in that realm of “ignorance is bliss”. When I say we, it is more a generalization of the American people. We watched as other countries had fallen into the grip of Covid-19. We witnessed the death tolls of foreign lands go up and prolonged quarantines are put in place. All the while, the vast majority of us believed what we were originally being told, 2 weeks would help flatten the curve. Well, those 2 weeks officially turned into a year just over a month ago. We have a vaccine that will hopefully put a stop to, or at least greatly slow the spread of the virus, but only time will tell of its ferocity.
NO WALMART!?!
I originally joked that this post was going to be called my “year without Wal-Mart”. To answer that lingering question you may have in the back of your mind, yes. I really did go a solid year without stepping foot inside of a Wal-Mart. To clarify, I have zero problems with the global retailer. In fact, I worked for the corporation when I was in college. In a time of trying to cut down potential exposure, they were the quickest store I could take off of my list. They are the largest merchant in my local area, which also meant that they would draw the biggest crowds and pose the greatest risk of infection. So I swore them off. And 13 months after I said goodbye to the “find it all in one place” store, I finally stepped foot inside of one to look for an item that I could not find elsewhere. Do I have an undying urge to go back in? NOPE. But am I swearing off going in the store ever again? That’s also a big NOPE.
What has the last year taught me?
I feel like I have slowly stumbled through the past year. I have this feeling like I’ve literally rolled from one life lesson to the next. While I am not about to say that they will apply to everyone, I feel that each one could help someone out there.
Just Breathe
That’s right. Stop for a moment. Take a deep breath in and blow it out. Give your brain that second to halt all thought and relax. If quarantine taught me a single thing, it’s to slow down. Even in a world of fast-paced decisions, there is always an opportunity to stop and recenter yourself before moving forward.
Don’t take a single person for granted. And Love Deeply!
Covid-19 has taught the world not to take one single person for granted. A virus that we never saw coming, has left a catastrophic amount of victims in its wake. And for many of those victims, their demise was very fast for those around them. So each day, remember to tell those around you that you appreciate them.
As with taking others for granted, sometimes we bottle up our emotions in fear of getting hurt. I implore you to love deeply and do it openly. Risk that heartbreak. You don’t know when that person will be gone. As the old saying goes:
It’s better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all.
Make yourself a priority.
I am super guilty of always putting others before myself. And that’s not always a bad thing. But I also learned that you can’t POUR FROM AN EMPTY CUP. What a metaphor if you ask me. During the first part of the quarantine, I was still working full time and also helping to ensure my children completed all of their virtual school assignments. Between work, the kids’ school work, cleaning the house, and the laundry list of other items that always need to be done, sleep became an old friend I didn’t see very often. After the first 2 months, I felt like burn-out was inevitable. That was my epiphany moment. I couldn’t keep going if I didn’t spend time on myself. So leave the guilt behind and take time when you can to recharge your battery.
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!
Every life goes through seasons.
If I didn’t realize it before, the past few months have opened my eyes. Everyone’s life goes through seasons. They may change just as much as the weather outside, or it could be years between seasons. So even though many of us can attribute 2020 to being a proverbial “long, cold winter”, we need to remember that Spring is just around the corner. Life will not always be like this. And though we may never see what we used to consider “normal” again, we will see brighter days.
Trust your instincts and don’t look back!
I have always been a believer that God gave you that gut feeling for a reason. In psychology class in college, they called that the “fight or flight” reaction. You have it for a purpose. Trust it and know that you made the right decision for yourself at the time that you made it. Do what you feel in your gut is right for you, no apologies!
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain.
Old dogs can learn new tricks.
I have learned so many things this year. Some of those new lessons may not be used in the future (common core math, I’m looking at you) and others will be added to our daily routine for the foreseeable future. My biggest accomplishment of the past year: I learned how to preserve vegetables via canning. I had always watched my grandmother or parents do it growing up but had never actually learned. That changed during the summer of 2020. I am proud to say I will continue this tradition.
While I feel like I am still mostly the same person I was a year ago, I also can see each of the tiny ways that I have changed. And I can honestly say that I don’t want to go back to the person I was a year ago. So from this point forward, I take those moments to breathe, love deeply, appreciate others, trust my instincts and vow to learn new things.
Did the last year make a profound difference in your life? Was it for the better? Or did things take a turn in a different direction? Drop your thoughts and feelings and the comments section down below.
