Lessons from the Quarantine

What is most important to me

 

I waste too much…of everything  

 

Whether it is time, money, or even a physical product, I waste too much.  Going forward I will be more conservative.  The quarantine has taught me that I should be more careful with my resources.  Whether it is a simple thing like toilet paper or the value of my time, I need to spend these things wisely.

 

My family needed this time to reconnect

 

Honestly, my family has been drifting apart for a while.  My kids are now young adults.  They are going to college and working, and we are all scattered most of the time.  We spend a lot less time together than we used to.  I have missed that time.  During this quarantine, we have eaten meals together, played games like we did when they were younger, and taken walks.  We would not have done these things if not for the quarantine.  I am glad that we have had this time together. 

 

You cannot give enough gratitude

 

A couple of years ago, I began keeping a gratitude journal.   It has changed my life.  Instead of starting each day thinking about my problems, I begin the day being grateful.  During this quarantine, I realized that I have even more to be grateful for than ever.  Whether it is being grateful for abundant food, electricity, running water, and a roof over my head to just having clean air to breathe, I am grateful for it all.  The little things that we often overlook are now something I try to recognize and remember to have gratitude for as well.  A grateful heart is the best way to start your day.

 

I allow fear to take away too much of my energy

 

We live in a society that promotes fear.  Fear is used to manipulate, it is used to influence, and it is used to direct choices.  If someone can make you afraid, they gain control over your actions.  We make poor decisions when we are afraid.  In fact, most of my worst decisions in my life have been made because I was afraid.  We fear the unknown.  We fear the outcome of things that most of the time don’t come to fruition.  And, we fear the fear things that we don’t have control over anyway.  Energy spent on being afraid is wasted energy. 

 

A lot of what I thought was important really isn’t

 

It is very easy to focus on unimportant things.  From having the perfect house, to driving a new car, or even focusing too much on my appearance, those things are not that important.  But I spend too much of my time focusing on those things.  What is important to me is my family.  My friends and other loved ones are important to me.  This quarantine has shed light on the things that matter the most to me. 

 

This is an important event

 

This experience is a once in a lifetime event.  It is very rare that every person in the world is affected by the same thing at the same time.  Maybe there is a reason for this.  Perhaps we all needed a time out.  We are all very busy.  We all lose focus on what the important things are in life.  And, we all now have an amazing opportunity to treat this as a learning experience.  My hope is that each person takes this time to evaluate the things that they now see need to change in their life and take action to change it.  I would hope that the aftermath of this time is that human beings learn to be kinder and more loving towards each other.  We can come out of this quarantine feeling bitter about what has happened, or with a better attitude.  For me, I plan on choosing to make changes that will reflect the things I have learned through this quarantine.