All I Really Need to Know I Learned from COVID-19

Posted by Liz May 05, 2020

All I Really Need to Know I Learned from COVID-19

I have seen many of these lists since the original author (Robert Fulghum) wrote about learning everything he needed to know in kindergarten. Just now, I am thinking of the lessons learned in my time at home during this global pandemic. Some are silly. Some are sobering. Come learn along with me.

Everybody has an opinion. Learning to voice our opinion without accusing others of being idiots can be a challenge in this world of instant communication. It is important to learn the value of the unexpressed thought and the power of a pause.
Love the people in your home. If we are stuck with only them for all our social interactions for a LONG period of time, this will be important. So suck it up and LOVE them. (Hint: love is an action verb.)
Take care of other people. It's important. It's a God thing. He wants us to be kind and to look out for the other guy. There are no stipulations about having to agree with the other guy first.
Find joy and laughter. Smile. You have a beautiful smile. Sometimes the news seems pretty grim. In order to find joy, you may have to dig. You may need to stay off social media. You may need to pray a lot. If you do find it, help others find it, too.
Spring always comes. Even when our personal world seems to be falling apart, God's plans for the world are still in motion. Days pass, seasons change, and there is beauty in the world around you if you take time to notice it.
Staying connected is essential. Write notes. Send emails. Do video chats. Don't just sit there – connect! That connection is not just for you and your own mental health (although it is beneficial for that). It may be that your message of hope and love is the only one that somebody else is hearing. Make sure the important people in your life know that they are the important people in your life.
Good health is a gift. No kidding, right? All of LIFE is a gift. Sometimes it is hard to appreciate what we have, but an event like this pandemic puts it all in perspective. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, so living in the moment becomes extra important.
Very few days are perfect. In fact, it is likely that none are. Even though we want to live in the moment, the moments aren't all good. We can't make everybody do things our way, and in fact our way might not work out the way we thought it would. When we release the expectation of perfection we are free to experience good days with bad bumps in them. We are free to sleep at night.
Mistakes are inevitable; APOLOGIZE often. Staying home doesn't mean we are staying out of trouble. Self-examination can be difficult. Admitting we are wrong can be difficult. The more quickly we learn do those difficult steps, the better the quality of our friendships. “I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me. I will try to do better next time, and you can let me know if I fail.” (So we can practice.)
Let it go! Let it go! The Disney song got it right! We do not have control of our tomorrows – never did, never will. The question is, can we accept that? Worry won't save the day. Holding on to anger won't do it either. They will, however, keep us up all night. Releasing our fear and our anger to the Holy One who is the ONLY one in control is a daily (and nightly) task that can be the first step to finding peace in a pandemic world.

There's more, but this will do for now. I probably repeated some things I put in another blog, because repetition is one way that I learn things. I'd love to hear the lessons this epic time in history is teaching you. For now, here are a few pictures of that beautiful world God has created for you.