In January we heard the news about the new virus in China. But we ignored it, thinking it was too far away. We had heard about creating a disaster pantry but we procrastinated and didn’t make one. We have watched other epidemics jump from one country to the next but we continued to believe they couldn’t reach us. But now within a day we can fly to most countries. We are not safe from any global disease, oil supply interruptions, wars, shortages of supplies, truckers’ strikes or stock market volatility.
This is our first global pandemic. This has been a huge wakeup call. Complacency, procrastination, diversions, distractions, addictions, anger, fear, paranoia or over eating … are not going to save us. Many of us have been on auto pilot for most of our life. We let our habits make our choices. We resist change. 
We don’t think about consequences before we act. We expect some person or organization to take care of the messy stuff that happens in life while we sit and complain. I admire the folks who show up and pitch in to help.
We can take whatever lesson from life’s experiences we wish, or we can ignore them all and get swept along in the current of what is happening without preparation and knowledge of what to do. What I see in the increase of global events of floods, droughts, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis and storms is OPPORTUNITY. What skills or products do they need?
Obviously we cannot control these events. But we can control our response. Instead of fearfully taking more than our share of daily supplies, we can be compassionate and fair so that others can eat. Instead of being hysterical and imagining the worst possible outcome, we can look around us to see what we can do to help others. Instead of worrying about food shortages we can create an emergency food pantry of non-perishables and plant a garden for fresh produce. (See Dr Joy’s Myth Busters section for directions.)
Grow extra food. Donate food or money to local food banks. We can help a neighbor. We can teach, by example, to our family, friends and neighbors how to gracefully overcome life’s challenges with kindness, compassion, understanding and inner peace.
I hear people saying, I can’t wait for things to get back to normal. What is normal? Following habits without being open to change? Living a life that endlessly repeats, like the movie, “Ground Hog Day”? Change is not comfortable. But it is necessary. Out of change can come growth, and hopefully improvements. That’s the part where we need to be awake, alert, aware and proactive!
The potential changes being brought this year and in recent years have given so much opportunity for improvements. But so many of us are still asleep or afraid of change. We don’t need to be a highly educated person, a billionaire, a scientist, a genius, etcetera to improve our piece of the puzzle. Many great leaders, concepts, inventions and organizations have been birthed from humble beginnings. When we get an insight, idea or inspiration don’t sit on it. We must let it move us, step by step through its’ process. Just keep taking the next step. Sometimes the small changes we make can have amazing results.
How many times have we said, “I wish I had more time to: spend with my family, finish these projects, study a new language or learn a new skill? Well this is the time we have been asking for! How are we using this gift? Are we teaching our family life skills?
We could teach the children or grand kids how to:
- prepare healthy meals
- plan a week long menu
- learn home maintenance checklist (clean gutters, check roof, paint, check for wood damage, etc.)
- housekeeping, vacuuming, laundry, sewing, mend clothes.
- Create a practical math project: List income. List expenses: utilities, rent or mortgage payment, car payment, food, gas, insurance, etc.
- Have children add up bills and make a budget for monthly and annual costs.
- Ask them for ideas how to earn money to balance the budget.
Don’t binge watch videos, complain, get angry, act out in frustration or gobble junk food. Our children are watching how we handle life’s challenges. Give them responsibilities so they feel like they are part of the team. Encourage finding solutions. Teach them to think, read, reason, express their ideas and participate in life in a positive way. It is not the parent’s job to entertain the kids. It is their job to prepare them for life. This might be a great time to take up an old skill, like having conversations. While it is good to keep in touch with loved ones with social media during shut in time. Also limit screen time for everyone. Encourage them to engage, participate and contribute.
Assign reading or report on any topic of interest and have the family listen to each presentation (great prep for school.). Teach them to be here now in the moment. Practicing listening, praising, enjoying each other’s company. What are the children’s ideas about the planet, their future, solutions for global challenges. I am amazed at the wisdom and vision of the younger generations.
What if this experience was an enormous planetary reboot. Let’s pretend we can now make all the changes in our lives that we always wanted to. Our attitudes and beliefs influence our behaviors which determine our outcome. This would be a great time to examine our beliefs, habits and frustrations. Toss out the old that don’t work for us and adopt new ones. What would you do to make your life and the planet better? How can we all use this time for positive change, being closer to our family, getting to know the kids better and being a better person. We get a do-over! What if? Think about it! Then make some adjustments in your lifestyle to improve yourself and lessen your impact on the planet.
