Week 7 - Day 43: 35th Day of Dallas County Shelter in Place

Today we will cross the 1 million mark in diagnosed coronavirus cases in our country, and over 56 thousand deaths.  Who can even imagine how many millions more are out there undiagnosed? How many more will be sick before this is controlled, and how many untold thousands more will die?  These are all questions we can all ask, but cannot even begin to answer.

I would like to think that during this time we are learning something.  That we are learning important lessons as individuals, as communities, and as a nation.  What important lessons are we learning? 

Speaking only for myself:

• I am learning to value the people in my life.  Each person exists within the realm of my world for a reason.  I am learning to appreciate that each day.  
• I am learning to reach out and help people that I perceive may need help;  To do this earnestly, quietly, and expect nothing from them in return.  
• I am learning to look forward to down time and extra sleep.  I think this life lesson will help me on a path to better health.
• I am learning the value and necessity of nature - the outdoors with fresh air and sunshine; observation of creatures great and small.
• I am learning that a job is not a guarantee - and I am thankful for my own.
• I am learning that I have spent too many years acting like government was this thing that I did not need to be concerned about;  I realize now that I must care and I must be an active participant in our process for it to work.

I am afraid not all of my lessons are warm and fuzzy:

• I am learning it is easier to call someone a name than do anything else.
• I am learning that I have a high degree of intolerance to people I perceive as "stupid".
• I am learning that I am nearly 100% non-supportive of most of our elected leaders with an almost 0% respect factor.
• I am learning, more than ever, that life is unpredictable and just when I think I can no longer be surprised, BOOM, I find myself shocked and reeling.

I ask myself, wow, Angie, where exactly do you go with this?  Especially the things that are not what I would deem as positive lessons.  I do not know the answer to that question either.

I have to start somewhere so I am starting with the top of the more negative part of my list.  I am really going to try and work on not calling public officials, politicians, TV anchors, friends of friends (whom I do not even personally know) any type of names this week. When I was a kid, name calling was absolutely not allowed in any form.  I am really going to try to work on this by using the old trick of converting a negative statement to a positive one.  I will likely feel like I am in grade school all week... but on this one, if I am going to survive this pandemic, I really have to work hard on communicating how I feel about what is happening out there a little better to those around me. And being reduced to just spouting derogatory names every day is probably not helpful in that communication. (Even if I feel that most people I know feel exactly the same way!)

I am pretty sure we all have valuable life lessons we have chalked up so far... 

What is yours?  

Thinking about any you want to make changes on?