5 things to embrace during COVID-19

Times are hard. They are serious for a lot of people. It’s okay and important to acknowledge it.

But…

History has shown us that there is always good happening in any situation, no matter how nightmarish and apocalyptic they seem.

Not everything we are seeing is what we are really able to see. Not everything is bad. Sometimes we don’t see the whole picture. There are so many things we take for granted. Places might still be shut down but other things have the chance to open up, at last. It’s time to declutter and prioritize our lives and look back to how we did things.

We have the power to choose what to see and how to respond to it.

Five things to embrace in this time, and beyond.

1. Mother Nature is regenerating. My family and I live close to the pacific ocean and we witnessed the color change of the ocean. It looks tropical and paradisiac now. It is as if nature itself is taking a breath and is being revived. They say the ozone layer is the smallest since its discovery. Mother Nature is taking a break, too. Let’s be more respectful of the earth we live on.

2. Intentional family time. Whoever has dealt with isolation (I have!)knows how essential quality time with people is. Be intentional about connecting with friends and family, nearby and far. Have a game night, FaceTime your friends, and find creative ways to show your loved ones how much they mean to you. Life is not on hold. Dance, sing, laugh and create memories together! Our children will remember. When this is over, let’s not get caught up in busyness of life and heart again. Let’s make time for the ones we love.

3. Season for creatives. We are all creative beings. This season is for you to dig up creative content from inside of you. Let it be without pressure. Connecting with your creativity sparks life. Your investment in yourself will be rewarded, now and in the future. What gift can you give to the world during this time?

4. Time is your friend. You don’t have to commute, drive your kids to school, run from one meeting to the other, from one activity to the next. No hustle and bustle. No extensive consumption. Not this time. What do we do with what we’ve been given? Don’t try to force the lifestyle you had before this pandemic to this new season. It won’t fit. Allow yourself to be still and be. Be present. How many times have we let others try to manage our time for us instead of us managing it ourselves? Take a breath and ask yourself what you should do with your time! It’s yours.

5. Compassion for yourself and one another. A natural reaction to a crisis can be to buy up all the stores and hoard everything. In most natural catastrophes people have chosen to support and stand in the gap for each other. Neighbors who once were strangers became friends. Why not show extraordinary generosity in times like these? We teach our children to share. Now is the time for them to see us in action. Don’t forget to show yourself some compassion, too. Stop and notice what triggers you and give yourself some nurture and support.

No matter how dark the night, there is always Light that no darkness can withstand. Light will always increase to the extent we focus on it.

The choice is ours.

We can either only see the darkness and be consumed by it or we choose to see and do good. It’s not something big and unrealistic. There will always be things shaking us. Things will not get back to normal. They will be different. We will learn, grow and see things differently than before. This season, as hard it might be, has a purpose. What if I told you that there are even more difficult seasons ahead of us, that bigger storms are coming. Will we be ready? If we are rooted in that which is unshakeable we will be thriving in spirit and be at peace despite the circumstances.

There is something good and unshakeable in all of this. Let’s not be anxious about going back and doing life like we did before this pandemic. We can’t go back. We can only move forward, do things differently, better, than before.

What do you choose to see and embrace today?