Gratitude For the Pandemic

What this pandemic is doing for us.

What an incredible time we are in!  This pandemic is giving us a lot of time for reflection both internally and as a society. For years we have known that our school system is outdated and does not work for a lot of our kids. Let’s face it, it was designed to teach people during an era that required a lot of manual labor. We are also well aware of the problems like pollution and corporate corruption; the list of societal troubles goes on and on.  Now, we are in the midst of a pandemic - this is exciting because we get to learn and do things differently.  We have reached the technology age and we have outgrown our systems.

Sure, many are fearful of the immediate loss that we seem to be faced with.  The cancellations of big revenue events, possible cancellation of upcoming graduations, and even the cancellation of standardized testing in many states (yay!) pose an immediate threat to many. There are so many unknowns. Sadness and fear should be honored and acknowledged and dealt with, because it is valid.  However, we cannot remain there!

For me, the first few days of things being cancelled and feeling forced to stay home were filled with fear and anxiety.  As I worked through it my view of the situation changed and so did the emotions.  I suddenly thought how blessed I was to get this time with my girls at home.  One is a senior and will be graduating, the other is a freshman and is also growing up fairly quickly, I won’t likely get time like this with them when they are grown.  Needless to say, our dog is overjoyed with all of the extra attention she is getting.

I have also talked with many small business owners who have fallen into fear because business is down.  As a fairly new business owner, I initially felt the same.  Then I realized what a gift I have just been given, that not many business owners receive because we get so busy working in our business. We finally get to slow down (something we rarely do) and spend some time to work ON our business.  That’s right – we get to ask ourselves questions like:

·      Where do I want my business to go?

·      How do I get there?

·      Are there potential new customers that I am missing out on?

·      How can I build philanthropy into my business?

·      My favorite question – how may I be of service?

Lastly, we are all in this together.  None of us have all of the answers as individuals, yet collectively we do.  The first step is moving toward a place of humility and openness to change. We need to trust that there are better ways to do things and that this is happening FOR us. When we all come together and approach this from a heart-space as opposed to a fear space we can build a better world.