Thanks to the Pandemic: Lessons Learned & Unexpected Blessings

I have a mid-March birthday. This year, I was on top of finding special ways to celebrate. I had concert tickets for a show on Saturday night and a macaron class booked for the next day. The show got cancelled. The cooking class happened, but I felt anxious the whole time.

Should I be here right now working so close to these strangers? Is this safe? Am I stupid? What is happening in the world? What is this coronavirus? A pandemic? Eek.

Jump forward several days and spring break trip cancelled. Going to the grocery store and stocking up on things. Ordered safer at home. Working from home for the first time in my life. 

Then I got TMJ! A real concern that my mouth wouldn’t open! And I couldn’t go to the dentist and I couldn’t call my massage therapist because everywhere was closed! And this lasted for about a week, this visceral fear and stress in my body.

Then I thought to myself, how can I make the most of this time? How can this time be useful? I made a list of to do projects: painting upstairs, cleaning windows, all that fun stuff. Ahha! I meditated, I did yoga, and I took walks and bike rides every day. I stopped waking up to an alarm, no more rushing to be out the door and off to work. Things slowed down. 

I found a sense of freedom in not being expected to go anywhere; no sense of judgment or comparison around if I had plans or not and what others were doing. 

I was scratch cooking a ton. Talking on the phone and using FaceTime for hours daily. I found time to check-in with people I had not spoken to in a long time. I read fiction books for the first time in almost a decade. 

Once summer hit, I was put on partial unemployment due to the lack of school related work. I had five day weekends all summer and I was financially secure thanks to partial unemployment. I thought, how do I maximize this? So, I started researching and building my own company. I ventured off on regional camping and hiking trips. I slept in a tent more this summer than the past five summers combined.

It became very clear to me who and what was most important in my life. 

For me, after the original fear and stress of the unknown, this pandemic has held many lessons:

·      We don’t control much, focus on what you can control.

·      Resistance causes suffering, allowing creates flow.

·      Stay in the present, we can’t change the past, and the future is unknown.

·      Everything shifts and changes, ride the waves as best you can.

·      My lifestyle prioritizes self-care.

·      Sometimes the government has our backs, sometimes it doesn’t.

·      Bras are uncomfortable.

·      Carrying a purse is annoying.

·      The less media and news, the better my mood.

·      Leggings and joggers are way more comfortable than jeans.

·      Working from home is kind of convenient.

And the unexpected blessings of:

·      Feeling more connected to those who matter most to me.

·      Being more aware of myself, others, and what is happening in the world.

·      Opening my own business!

As human beings, we are meaning-making-machines. If you are having a hard time of making meaning of this pandemic time, please reach out, Coriander Living Collective is here to support you!