In the Middle of a Storm

We are all facing a pan-human challenge, an unprecendented crisis which brought us to what we are feeling and doing right now.

It’s only been a few months and this pandemic made me realize a lot of things already.

• Everyday is different.

Yesterday can be the happiest day of your life but tomorrow, it might be the worst and that is the reality. We tend to ignore a lot of salient things and let it pass because we always think that there is still tomorrow and it might be the perfect time. This is common when it comes to the topic ‘Expressing love to your loved ones’. We reason out that we always get to see them most of the time, especially our family, and the most common ‘They already know that I love them‘ excuse. We tend to overlook these things because we think we have the assurance of tomorrow, but the crisis that we face proved this thinking wrong.

• Difficult times reveal true colors.

Tough times test everyone’s character. These are the times when we can see who truly cares, who are compassionate, empathetic and the opposite. You will see who will stick through no matter how hard the situation is, those who will guide you, and those who will just leave because they can’t stand you anymore.

• “We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat.” – Anonymous

I stumbled upon this Facebook post by The Simplicity Habit and this quotation is relevant to the situation we are in right now. This pandemic is the storm that we deal with but our secondary problems, our resources, coping capabilities are all different. Some are thinking about what will happen on their well-planned birthday party but some are thinking about their food or where will they get money to buy food for the next day. Some people think that this is the perfect time to be productive and to reconnect with others but some people are not mentally stable. Our common enemy is the virus, but thinking that we have the same coping mechanisms, that we have to do the same, that we need to just follow and spread positivity only, shows that there are people who only think of some but not all.

Let us be aware and mindful.

COVID-19 left its mark globally, not only in the health sector, but also in politics, economics, environmental, and socio-cultural aspect.

This crisis taught me that today is as important as tomorrow or maybe, today is more important because we still have the power to know and control things, unlike tomorrow when no one knows what it holds.

Remember, there is no perfect time for anything. There is only now.

Jack Canfield