Well 2020 is turning out to be one for the books huh? So much has changed from January 1st. We all thought 2020 was going to be the best year ever, at least I know I did. I had a new role at work that was challenging and exciting, I was in a great relationship, I was working on growing in my faith and finding new ways to serve God, and all around really looking forward to what this year was going to bring. Fast forward to today and all though all of those things are still true, we are now also dealing with the world wide pandemic of Covid-19.
Currently I am in my apartment under a Shelter in Place order until at least April 6th. We can go out for food, take care of family and friends or if our job is deemed essential. But, other than that we are suppose to be staying in our houses for the next few weeks to help slow the spread of the virus. I am lucky enough that my event planning job is something I can do at home, but not everyone in my circle has been so lucky. Businesses are closed, people are laid off, people are hoarding essential food and toiletries. And I can’t help but wonder how we got here?
It was probably about a month and a half ago we really started hearing about this Corona virus that had devastated China. It seemed to be spreading around the world, but there was not a lot of true facts around how it spread, how deadly it was, or really true symptoms. As the days and weeks went on we saw lock downs of entire countries, death tolls rise(they still are), and cases start drastically popping up here in the US.
It was 2 weeks ago that my work closed down and we all went to a work from home status for the time being. That week I saw my friends close their businesses, modify how their business operates and get laid off. I think this is where the severity of the the virus set in for a lot of people here in the US. More knowledge was coming out about the virus. More testing was coming available and we were truly starting to see how quickly and silently it spreads.
Flash forward to this week, across the US we are starting to see entire states go into lock-down. Ohio went into shelter in place Monday evening. So, for now it is just CK and I in the apartment until this all settles down. He is taking his career of professional napper extremely serious. And me, well, I am a little stir crazy, found a few binge worthy shows on Netflix and Prime. But really honestly feeling a bit trapped and missing social interaction. I know I am not the only one where my house is sort of starting to feel like a cage. Honestly, it seems like the whole world is somewhat caged by this virus.
But, I loved something my pastor, Marcus Mecum, said during our online service this weekend, “Your scariest moments double as your greatest opportunities.”
The effects of this virus are a lot of ours scariest moment. But, already I have seen so many great things come from this situation. I’ve seen parents and kids spending more quality time together without being in front of a screen. I’ve seen people taking more walks around their neighborhoods because that is the only way to get out of the house. I’ve seen people quarantined in cities around the world opening their windows and making music together. I’ve seen communities rally around their small business owners that have supported them in times of need and lift those owners and their employees up. I’ve seen people rally together to pack lunches for kids who are at home and may not have meals they would normally get in school. I learned that church is so much more than a building. Most importantly, I’ve seen people being kind, treating others like humans and not like an opposite political party, opposite sexual orientation, opposite race or opposite nationality. If there is anything this virus is showing us is the it does not discriminate, young, old, black, white, from this country or that country, it does not care.
So maybe that is the silver lining through all this. Maybe this is God’s way of saying, ” Hey earth, pause, take a moment and see what really matters again.” This may just be our greatest opportunity of our life time to be able to take a step back and see what really matters in each of our lives.
I know once this is all said and done I will look at the ability to greet someone with a handshake differently. The ability to be able to go into work and be social will feel less like a chore and more as a blessing. Weekends with friends and family will feel different. And I hope we all have now re-learned how important it is to always WASH YOUR HANDS!!
All kidding aside, these next few weeks and even months are not going to be easy. We are going to have more scary moments and more times that the walls of your house truly feel like a cage. But you have to remember that the caterpillar creates a cage for itself so that the butterfly can emerge from the cocoon.
Winging Life 