How is your life better today?
We all have plenty of stories on how our lives have gotten worse with the spread of COVID-19. No income. Businesses shut down. No cuddling or even getting close to people, let alone family and other loved ones. Empty shelves (what’s with hoarding toilet paper, anyway?).
And in worst-case scenarios, we are dealing with medical supply shortages, sickness, suffering and even death. These tragedies make me cry. Every day.
So, life getting better? It’s hard to see the upside. But it is there. And it’s OK – maybe even mandatory for our mental health – to acknowledge that not everything that’s happened to us in the last several months is bad.
My life has gotten better due to reconnecting more frequently with far-flung family members. These days, it’s important for me to be in touch with not just my immediately family, but the concentric rings of family, too.
I’ve worked from home since 2012, being in an office of one (well, four, if you count the cats) is not new. What’s been tougher is not being able to meet and talk face-to-face with members of my tribe, my business women’s community, and personal friends.
Today, my life is better because I’m still connecting with those people – seeing their faces and hearing their voices online – without violating safe-distancing requirements.
Shaking off the cesspit nastiness
I’ve also learned that there is no room in my life for the dark side of social media — willful ignorance, intolerance and downright stupidity. I started by purging the ugly and hateful from my social media accounts, but that only went so far. So, about a month ago, I just dropped off my personal Facebook account.
What a relief to get out of that cesspit! My health is better and a significant amount of time has been freed up for things that nourish my soul. I may never go back.
This forced stop has given me the space – and taken away all my excuses – to do things I’ve been putting off.
- I’m working on my first video. My webmaster is updating my website. I’m improving my clients’ website listings to make them easier to find in search.
- And then there’s my neighbor’s parrot. I’ve taught him how to wolf whistle. We’ve got a fun call-and-response thing going on.
- While I’m conversing with the bird, I pull weeds, pick up the twigs that the squirrel scatter in the yard out front. That and the dead palm fronds get tossed in the yard-waste bin.
- My morning walks have expanded from 20-30 minutes to sometimes an hour or more. I’m exploring new neighborhoods – which have interesting details that you miss at 25 miles an hour.
- Neighbors I’ve never seen before are walking or riding their bikes. People are friendlier, more relaxed and sociable. I already live in a small community but lately, it feels more cohesive and interrelated.
- My life is better today because I’ve got the time to learn new things. Like organizing and presenting my first-ever Zoom online training session.
- And finally, my life is so much better seeing that some of the damage we’ve done to the earth is not irreparable. The photos of formerly smog-shrouded cities New Delhi and Los Angeles and Paris and Beijing and others that now show blue skies are uplifting and awe-inspiring.
I could keep going, but now it’s your turn: How is your life better? Please share in the comments.