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Writer's pictureMonica

Lessons from COVID-19

Updated: Jul 24, 2020

The surprising things we learned from and missed during quarantine.


Visiting my parents for Mother's Day. We wore our masks and chatted on their back porch.

In March of 2020 Jeff was separated from his job. That same week the country started shutting down in response to COVID-19. This was pretty scary but we had some savings and were praying that things would turn around pretty quickly. Jeff has worked in the same industry for 35 years and has never been out of work. He has built a network of industry contacts and we were both confident that he would find another job soon. In fact, he had a couple of offers but they were quickly put on hold until the pandemic was under control. We spent the next 6 weeks like everyone else in the country - hunkered down. We cooked a lot, watched a lot of Netflix and de-stressed from our previously very hectic life.


This is when we decided to take advantage of the time and Jeff started his own LLC. The more we worked on the new company, the more we began to realize the new freedom we had. I know it sounds crazy. No job, no income, no job opportunities - how can that feel good? But it did! For our entire marriage Jeff had felt the overwhelming responsibility that every man feels to support his family. He had done this beautifully and each year made more money than the last. But with more money came more responsibility and more stress to keep it growing. Now we had so much that his job had provided for us for so many years, but we also had the responsibility for that stuff. Let phase II of our COVID lesson begin!


Too Much Stuff

For the past couple of years I have been looking forward, maybe a little prematurely, to being an empty nester. We live in a 4 bedroom house with tons of space for lots of stuff. I began to look around and wish that we had less. I dreamed of moving to a smaller home or even a condo or townhouse where we would not have to spend weekends doing yard maintenance and projects around the house. Be careful what you wish for Monica!


In January I started a purge. I cleaned out closets, under the beds, clothes we did not wear and took it all to a local donation center. No tchotchke was safe. I think I made the girls cry a couple of times but I was hell-bent on cleaning out the clutter. When the quarantine locked us down, I became obsessed with getting rid of stuff and completing forgotten projects from over the years. I refinished my grandmother's furniture that had been sitting in the garage for too long, repainted all of the interior doors and made 4 more trips to the donation center.


Jeff and the girls were not happy. They all really like their stuff. I tried to stay away from their stuff but I was not always successful. Why do we need to have things tucked away that we haven't used in years? "...but I might need it one day....." was a common answer. Or, "...but so-and-so gave it to me...."



Our home for sixteen years! The only home our daughters remember and it is hopefully going to be someone else's responsibility to clean very soon. This is a picture from the listing page. Bring on the home buyers!


The Things We Missed

Hugs - somehow the elbow touch just doesn't take the place of a good hug.

Smiling at people in public and getting a smile in return - masks!

Getting together with family - who knew?

Texting and talking to friends - maybe it was just me, but I actaully talked to my friends less. It was like we were all out of sight and out of mind, and nothing was going on so there wasn't even anything to post on social media.


The Things We Gained

Daily walks - every afternoon/evening we would grab a beverage, leash the dog and head out into the neighborhood for a liesurely walk. This was definitely not exercise, but it certainly became one. Our evening walk became such a routine that the dog knew all the cues and would bark until the leash was attached. This is what it must have been like at the beginning of suburbia. We talked to so many of our neighbors and, while we didn't necessarily establish a new level of friendship, we certainly appreciated the camaraderie that resonated during such an unprecedented time.

A new appreciation for our privilege - after many trips to third world countries, I pridefully thought that I was better than most when it came to recognizing my privileged life and not taking it for granted. HA! Enter COVID. Those first few weeks when the grocery store shelves were 1/2 empty and I had to purchase different brands and other items were completely impossible to find, it became very obvious that I was very spoiled. Not to mention how many times I complained about not getting to go anywhere or do anything (tennis!)

New recipes - before COVID I did not realize just how often we ate out. During quarantine that ended. We cooked every meal at home, three times a day, seven days a week. Since we had all that free time it didn't seem like such a burden. I actually remembered to take meat out of the freezer early enough and planned dinners, sometimes days in advance. (https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/easy-garlic-ginger-glazed-sticky-pork/)


I am sure that it will take the next decade to recognize all of the good things that we have gained during the COVID experience. I don't want to minimize how bad it has been, and continues to be, for so many people - my family included; however, I trust that God has not been surprised by all that has happened and His purpose is always for our good and His glory. Dang! I swore I was not going to make this a mushy, preachy, churchy blog. Hell, I haven't even been to church in almost 5 months! And the last thing I want to do is open myself or my family to other people's interpretations of my faith. But I guess that ship has sailed.


The most important thing I have gained during the last five months is a renewed since of who God is and the fact that He knows exactly who I am - and He loves me still.


This has been my constant: Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4)


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