With so much going on in the world, there is much to learn during a pandemic.
We can and will debrief, unpack, analyze, create policies, and resolve to put better measures in place to be better prepared for future pandemics and emergencies. In the meantime, what are you learning about yourself and your family and what did you realize that you can/not live without? What is this crisis teaching you?
For me, the pandemic has increased my awareness/compassion for people as you never know how people are being impacted and what kind of day they are having. From the little old lady that scolded me for keeping ‘too much distance in the grocery line’ to the person who made a point of crossing the road so we didn’t come within 30 feet of each other. Compassion requires you to think of more than yourself and more than what is presently in front of you. Easy to say, harder to do.
The pandemic also reaffirmed that less is more and that in the grand scheme of things, life is about the people you chose to surround yourself with and the people you chose to spend time with. It also reminded me that a crisis brings out the best in some and the worst in others.
What was it about an abundance of toilet paper (TP) that made people run out and buy bales of it? What was the TP symbolic of? A sense of security? A knowledge of abundance? A feeling of control? Whatever they were looking for, I hope they found it in their bathroom while admiring their TP.
Moving forward – what did you learn about yourself that you want to continue to do? Dinner with the family? More time spent playing board games? Giving yourself permission to laugh more? Learn a new skill that you didn’t know you had?
Moving forward – what did you learn that no longer serves you and you can leave behind? Letting go of the need to have everything perfect? Realizing that some relationships aren’t meant to last forever? Your definition of happiness? Definition of success?
As we struggle to make sense of the pandemic, remember as Winston Churchill noted, “never let a good crisis go to waste”. Even during a world-wide pandemic, there are lessons to be learned. What’s yours?
