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Working Together

I know this is a difficult time for everyone. It is easy to get depressed and think, What if I can't pay my bills? What if I can't feed myself and my family? I have felt the same way. I believe there is a Higher Power and that Higher Power says don't worry, I will take care of you. We have to believe that. Don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Tomorrow is not here yet. We don't know what it will bring. Let's just take one day at a time. I know, you may like to plan ahead. I know about planning. I do it myself. The situation we are living in now is a little different. The plans we used to make, may not be able to be carried out. And that is okay. It really is. Plans change. We have to be flexible and adjust when things don't work out the way we had hoped.

I believe everything happens for a reason. Okay so this pandemic has thrown a monkey wrench into our lives. Let's just make lemonade out of lemons. You may have lost your job or your hours were decreased like mine. You can call the companies you owe money to and let them know what has happened. Perhaps they will work with you on the bills, like they did with me. Many companies are working with the people that have been impacted by the Coronavirus. If you are having trouble with food, reach out to your local church or charitable organization. You will be surprised, the help that is available. There are a lot of food banks around. Don't be afraid or too proud to ask for help. We are all dealing witth this. Other people are in the same boat you are.

So you can't go out like you used to. Well because of the stay at home order, things are coming to you, in the form of virtual get-togethers. People are working from home, meetings are being held virtually, even getting together with friends and family is being done using one virtual platform or another. We are finding workarounds, to get things done, to go on with our lives.

As I said this can be a depressing and stressful time, believe me I know. But there are positive things that have come from it, like learning how to meet in the virtual world. We have found another way to talk, stay connected and get the work done. During this time at home we've had the chance to spend time with our loved ones, do home repair, etc. How many times have you said if I had more time… I would do this or that. I am sure you can think of something positive you have experienced in the past several months, as a result of the pandemic. Have you grown closer to your friends and/or family? Or found things out about them you did not know? We have had to take a step back and do things differently, learn new things or rediscover old ones (like board games, card games, hop-scotch and chalk for kids, arts and crafts, playing pool).

There is a silver lining to this. What good has happened to you because of this? For me, it was discovering the kindness of people. There are food banks that have popped up in my community as well as hotlines people can call and talk with someone. The kindness of the human spirit come through in a crisis. We are entertaining each other with funny pictures and videos on social media and television. Yes, things have come to light which has caused us to look at ourselves and have hard conversations with each other. We are having the dialogue and becoming better for it. We have developed the strength to help one another.

It is my hope that what we are doing to help one another during this time, will continue forever. We have the power to make that happen. We have the power to make ourselves and each other stress free.