Lessons learned during the pandemic

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/01/2021 (1820 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The popular conversation in the coffee room is about COVID, the horrible, evil COVID. People have taken to personalizing the pandemic and they hate it with a vengeance, cursing it at the most heinous villain on the planet. 

I wonder if our collective hatred of this virus is what gives it its staying power. As the saying goes — “what you feed grows and strengthens.”

For me it is a good time  to invoke the serenity prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

These wise words from America theologian Reinhold Niebuhr.

I cannot do anything about the virus. I can only follow what the professionals say we should do to protect ourselves and try and keep myself as healthy as possible.

I have tried to do that while keeping my spirits up and living my life the best I can in spite of the pandemic. I still go to work most days and I travel by the bus because I cannot live in fear and stop life. Each day is too precious to not live fully — and the older you get the more precious the days become.   

Fortunately for me I live with someone I really get along with and like a lot — me — and so being at home is no big deal. I love watching television, I love talking on the phone or on Zoom with people, and I love cooking and eating and spreading good vibes on social media. I am way too busy to be lonely. I have to take time out to just do nothing and breathe.

Many of us are so busy hating and cursing COVID-19 that we lose sight of the gifts of this season. There are so many gifts to appreciate and be thankful for if we just stop and take note of them. 

The pandemic has brought the world to cruising speed and reminded us that, regardless of our station in life, we are human and subject to the laws of the universe. It has taught us how little we need to survive, brought us back to basics and refreshed survival skills of cooking, baking, quality family time and enjoying life at home.  

The pandemic has taught parents not to fear being alone with their children — they aren’t that bad. In fact, children do much better when they are securely in the company of their parents, it is their insecurity that makes them ornery.

We are also reaping the benefits of cleaner air and just recently I received a second rebate cheque from Manitoba Public Insurance because of the decrease in accidents due to the pandemic. Need I sing the praises of COVID-19? 

Another important teachings of the pandemic is not to take each other for granted.  We must seize the day and stop procrastinating. Let us live every day and do what we must.

Beatrice Watson is a community correspondent for Fort Rouge.