COVID-19 has been a disruptive force – in everyone’s lives. No one left untouched. Lives changed overnight from the sheer speed of this pandemic. Catching everyone off guard and unprepared.Our daily rhythm took a severe hit, altering how we socialize, dine, exercise, work, study, and worship. Adjustments, in some cases, were required on the fly without any manual for reference. A new normal, created overnight.Being grounded added more stress and increased roles and responsibilities for everyone, requiring new skills. Parents, thrust into the role of a substitute teacher for children sent home from their schools. To quickly learn how to instruct while juggling the demands of their other roles. Adult children were shutout from care facilities and unable to visit their aging parents. Trusting their parents was healthy, safe, and receiving all the necessary care without first-hand knowledge.
Many in the workforce needed to adjust to meetings held remotely and learn the nuances of working from home and still be productive. While also learning how to handle isolation and social distancing effectively. Amid this pandemic, it would be a waste if we didn’t reflect on lessons learned from this experience and the new possibilities. Discoveries Has the pandemic opened your eyes to your surroundings? Given you a better appreciation? I’ve heard about a newfound appreciation for family and the need to live in a community. Humans should not live life alone, separated from relational interaction are some of the conversations I’ve heard. What discoveries has this crisis brought to light for you? Take the time to ponder the question. In a spirit of transparency, here is my partial list.
- Discovered what fear does to the human spirit
- Isolation is not healthy and learned how I respond to adversity.
- I’ve learned to appreciate my family more.
And, since I’m cooking more, preparing more meals – three times a day or more, I discovered how inadequate my kitchen is. Frankly, I don’t like it. That’s quite an admission for someone in the industry dedicated to providing well laid out functional and inspiring spaces for homeowners is a career. I don’t have enough countertop space; it’s crowded when more than one person is in the area. And, I hate my lazy susan. Perhaps you can identify with my discovery. Funny what comes to light when we are grounded in our sanctuary.
Possibilities
Rising from this crisis, what are the possibilities for you? Without a keen vision and spending time at the moment, we might otherwise miss some excellent options. Opportunities that might not be available without this pandemic. Think about it. In your current situation are new opportunities available for you to pursue, to seize? That perhaps seemed so distant and impossible to achieve at the start of this year. We have a ripe opportunity to forget or cast aside the problems of today and pursue tomorrow’s possibilities. While thanking a virus for such fertile plantings may seem odd, could it be possible that this pandemic might be a seedbed for personal and professional growth? Or, perhaps even a new kitchen? Perhaps now would be an excellent time to find some quiet space, reflect and write down your possibilities. Again, in a spirit of transparency, here are mine:
- Blog writing and content creation
- Write a book
- Learn several new skills
- Plan for a new kitchen
More than possibilities, I have taken the next steps to turn many of these items into realities. During a recent Zoom meeting, our kitchen’s dimensions and photos were provided to one of our gifted designers. This remote meeting set the stage for taking discovery and turning it into more than a possibility. From that remote meeting, the designer can start the design process immediately. Isolated, grounded, and stuck due to a virus can be debilitating. It can also be liberating, providing precious time we didn’t have before to reflect, learn, and plan. To plan and pursue new possibilities, even a new kitchen (or bath).
