"Positives" for Covid

2020 has been a complete train wreck, right? Oh my gosh, I remember coming home from a quick trip with my husband to Vegas in February. Little did we know when we came home, that would be the last time we left for a long time!! Covid started spreading like crazy and well....you are aware of the rest of the shit show over this year.

As I have struggled through this virus, the election, the riots, etc I have often wondered when will this end? I am sure you have also wondered this too. It's so easy to get down, depressed and angry. But after we lost a dear family friend, only 13 years old to a car wreck a few weeks ago I finally started to see through the dark clouds. I started to realize that life is so short and I need to look for the blessings. So here is a list of some good things that I have learned through this year.

1. Laying on my couch watching the local sports teams on utube is actually much more comfortable than bleachers. The snacks are better at home, and I don't have to get ready or pay to get in. I can freely yell at the refs or the coaches without embarrassing myself or my kids.

2. I'm usually free. Occasionally someone will ask us to dinner or something will come up that we want to do. And as I look at my planner, its generally open. It's nice not to be so "committed" all the time and have some freedom. I'm liking having less pressure.

3. The kids are home. I absolutely love being home with my family. With teenagers, they are always wanting to be busy and on the go. Since sports have slowed dramatically, after school events are almost non-existant, and socially there isn't as much to do, so my kids are home more. They are working on their hobbies, and their friendships with each other have grown. I will value this time with them forever.

4. You can use Covid as an excuse for almost anything. It's handy sometimes.

5. Airports are so quiet. We traveled for the first time this Thanksgiving to Arizona to spend the holiday with my parents for their 50th Anniversary. It was such a wonderful and relaxing trip. Flying was much easier and less stressful than I can ever remember. Security was faster, the lines were short, it was faster to board & exit the plane and the airlines were very flexible. And finally....they figured out to load the plane from the back to the front!!! Yay!!

6. Small business's have learned to really value customers. As a small business owner, I have experienced a dramatic downturn in business. But, on the bright side my staff and myself have learned to value our customers so much more because we are just so happy they are here! I think our level of service is better, and I have noticed that among other small business's as well. Restaurants are delivering more, curbside is super handy, and local business's are becoming extremely creative!

7. My staff has become much more appreciative of me. I think my team was so happy I didn't have to cut out any jobs, and not one person lost their spot. They have seen other business's have to make cuts, but they have valued that we worked so hard to keep everyone. It has made them work harder, appreciate me and our customers more and we have all gotten so much closer. We have become a family and I am beyond thankful for that.

8. We brought old fashioned fun back. In my family, we have found stuff to do like hunting, fishing, golfing, yard games, board games, walking, cooking and even music. I have gotten pretty good at Pitch. It's so good for us to experience some of the more authentic and traditional activities in life.

9. I am so thankful for our Church & for Jesus. I never even imagined what life would be like without our Church. So when they had to close during the shutdowns, my heart just ached for it. I saw how hard they worked to get something going online and my love and appreciation for their commitment grew exponentially! It made me cling to Jesus, and to my faith. There is no promise of anything, other than Him.

10. I don't have to wear lipstick anymore. Sometimes I love lipstick, but the good news is since I have to wear a mask now, I don't have to worry about that. One less thing to worry about in my daily makep routine! Also, I never worry if I have bad breath.

11. Quarantine wasn't that bad. My husband and I both had the virus at the same time. It was stressful, of course, but after the first few days of being sick we were just stuck together for the rest of the time. I actually loved it. I loved having slow mornings, watching movies together and taking a drive just the two of us, to get out of the house. We cooked a lot, we talked a lot and we got a lot done. As much as I complained, I kind of loved it.

12. I found some great stocking stuffers. Masks and hand sanitizers make great little things to throw in the stockings.

13. I think the greatest blessing I have experienced during Covid, is how much I love the extra time I have to spend with the people I love the most. I felt like life was running me there for a while and I was on a crazy rollercoaster every second of the day. Now I have some extra time. My family eats dinner together almost every night. In fact I even cook more! Our circles are smaller and more intentional. We go to bed earlier and less tired. And we value the minutes we spend together.