There isn't a one of us who isn't going to be impacted by the coronavirus. This just became a universal problem of enormous proportions. We all have so many opinions, and believe me, I have mine as well, but I'm just one human in a world of billions and though I am significant, so is everyone else. This is a time to remember that. It's a time to really unite and figure out our priorities. It's time to grow. I love growth, but I'm not a fan of the pain I have to experience while I'm in it. So far, this is what I have learned:
1) I am still really good at judging and attacking. I try real, real hard, but it's my go to. I want to judge these decisions. I want to attack people for overreacting. I want everyone to see things my way. "Settle down you all. Stop being scared. It's okay." However, I have no idea what their past programming is. It is and never will be my place to judge. If Jesus were here, I'm pretty sure he would be the calm in the storm. He would be telling us to put our faith and trust in our Father. He wouldn't be judging anyone. He would be loving everyone.
2) We are great at being busy, not taking care of ourselves and running the rat race. Eventually though, your body will wear down and it will catch up to you. You will get sick and have no choice but to lay in bed and let your body heal. Here we are America. We are sick. We have run the race for too long and this is our time. Time to rest. Time to heal.
3) We really don't know how to take care of ourselves. We have spent so much time being busy, and distracting ourselves with so many things, including social media. We've lost touch with what it really means to give our body what it needs. We need to get back to the basics. What does eating good mean for you? What does exercise and activity look like for you? How do you manage stress? How much sleep are you getting? These are basic, primal human activities that so many of us stopped caring about. We need to get to a place where we trust our human body to handle attacks, because we are confident in how we have taken care of it. We know we have done everything possible to give it what it needs to survive.
4) We are stuck in a "every man for himself" mentality. I don't want to judge. I already told you, that's my go to. Personally, I have been worried about toilet paper. On the other hand, my husband, who grew up on the mission field, reminded me just this weekend to trust. They were all together at Trader Joe's and they found toilet paper. My son called and asked if we should buy it, but the thing is, we really don't need it. We are still fine. So, do we buy it, "just in case" or do we leave it for someone else who does? I was on the fence, with the fear surging within me, but my husband didn't waiver. "We don't need it." Mic drop. Story over. Walk away. God will provide.
5) We worry too much. Me too. It's my superpower, but this is a real lesson for me to knock that crap off. On Saturday night, as I tried to sleep alone in a noisy city, away from my home and family, I woke to birds chirping. I was in the middle of the city you guys. High rises surrounded me. Birds at 2:30 a.m. aren't a common noise in the burbs, let alone in the middle of a city. So, I look at my watch expecting it to be dawn. That would make some sense at least. It wasn't dawn, but it was a message straight from God himself. If I take care of the birds, who do not worry, how much more do you think I love and will take care of you? Mic drop. Story over. Walk away. God will provide.
6) We are all connected to each other. We like to think we aren't, but this comes back to "every man for himself." We are connected. This virus is showing us that. We are at the mercy of how we all collectively respond to this. I may not like your reaction. I don't like any of this. This is not how I would have responded. I am also a nurse and unless your leg is falling off and blood is spurting out everywhere, I'm not one to panic in the face of an illness. That's my past and my perspective. Yours is different and I need to respect that. I'm going to be affected by your decision, like it or not and you'll be affected by mine. I'm going to stop resisting that and just go with the flow, or I'm going to try really hard at least.
7) We need to trust in a higher power more than ever. We lost sight of what our country was built on. We are the United States of America. We were built on the foundation of God you guys. We lost sight of him. Our foundation is shaky, but we can fix it. This is our time to reevaluate our priorities. This is our time to rest, to unite together and to trust. A house divided will fall. That's what's happening, right in front of us. There's still time to stop it. We don't have to completely collapse. We just have to unite together. We just have to love each other again. We just have to respect our differences and be okay with them. That's what makes us unique and beautiful. We are one nation, under God and this is just a lesson for us to remember where we started. Mic drop. Story not over. God will make a beautiful ending.
Angela Miller is an RN and Professional Life Coach passionately pursuing her purpose to help others remember who they are and how to become their best self. For more information, visit www.soaringforward.com.