I have to give full credit to my wife… she saw this one coming. Day after day, week after week… all through the build up of it all — I kept thinking, “Nah… it’ll pass… it’s isolated in Asia… it’s not as bad as all that… blah blah blah.”
Well. I was wrong. The world is getting rocked… and, **shrugs** — I’m not too big to admit when I’m wrong. LOL, I’m wrong all the time. However, through this learning experience, as a husband and father… and, a somewhat-protective-paranoid one at that… here are some hindsight thoughts that have surfaced — not just on the quarantine and all… but also about life approaches in general.
1. Wait For Nothing
As I mentioned on my 10 Year Wedding Anniversary post: We went to Disney World… for business trip 😉 … the Fall before COVID-19 broke the world in Spring of 2020.
For that trip in Fall: We had the best time ever. THE BEST.
We were SUPPOSED TO go to Disney World again for our 10 year… but yeah… that didn’t happen.
It came to me, more solidly than every before… if you have a desire, a goal, a dream — WAIT FOR NOTHING. Go get it.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed to you. Next week is not a sure thing. The coming month, who knows what will happen? Next year? HA.
Have a goal? Start now.
Have a dream? Take action.
Want swag? Buy it… it may not be there anymore “next time” — this is something we found especially true as huge fans of all things Disney. Soooo many times, there was something at Disneyland or some Star Wars swag we had our eye on. Too many times, we said, “if it’s there next time… we’ll take it as a sign and get it.” More and more often as of late, there was not a next time. It was gone… forever.
Time is the one precious resource you can’t get back, make more of, exchange, or cheat. It keeps going, with or without you.
So… why let it pass you by?
Life: Wait for nothing.
PS. This doesn’t mean I’m encouraging you to be frivolous, foolish, or capricious. I’m not saying it’s a good idea to liquidate everything, run out to Vegas, and place everything on black at the roulettes. What I AM saying is this: If there is something existentially precious to you — then wait for nothing. Be it. Get it. Form it. Find it!
2. Get Everything In Twos
Supplies come to mind. On our final grocery run, my wife and I divided and conquered. I went to one store, she went to the other. We were texting back and forth to make sure we got what we needed.
And, I realized that no matter what I got that day… we would likely need more. Now, there were plenty of times I grabbed stuff in “extra” to my current needs. HOWEVER, I didn’t clear shelves.
I grabbed stuff in Twos.
Whether its supplies, inventory, swag, or even shoes — to which, for running… having two pairs of the same running shoes is very helpful — stuff works better in twos.
We had already done this at a habit with jugs of milk, cartons of eggs, and the like. However, in this crisis… it only made things more real… if you need, desire, or think you might want something… grab two of them.
3. Don’t Be “More Professional Than Thou….”
It’s Okay Not To Be Okay. This is something we talked about on an up and coming (given that I’m writing this 4/9/2020) episode on The Duck Legs Podcast.
Typically you hear the phrase, “Holier Than Thou.” Well, here in 2020, we seem to have this strange fixation on that if you are a professional, then you must be held at a higher standard in everything.
I’d like to suggest that such is true — to be held in a higher standard… but, in MOST things… not all.
Right now this worldwide lockdown, shut in, quarantine is a great example about how disruption of normal daily life is creating an enormous mental, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual strain on individuals of all types of backgrounds — many who are at the forefront of dealing with this crisis — highly intelligent, well trained, thoroughly educated, healthcare professionals.
It’s a tough and sucky time right now.
It’s okay not to be okay. It’s okay to not be professional when you’re not at work, when you’re not in clinic, when you’re not on campus, and/or when you’re not on the air.
It’s okay to be human.
And, it’s okay to not have anything positive to say, anything optimistic to uphold, or anything hopeful to cling to. Sometimes… the situation just sucks.
Being a licensed professional doesn’t make you immune or some how more resilient to the suck factor. Let it suck. Accept it. Deal with it. Then, push through.
Lives depend on it… yours included.
The sooner you embrace the suck, the sooner you’ll be able to adapt and adjust to this new normal.