From Warp Speed to Stand Still; Who Else Has the Power to Stop the World?
A few weeks ago, I was flying through life at warp speed, the pace I’m most comfortable. Like many families, we were crazy busy and the time we had together was minimal. I laugh now thinking we were more like race cars than ships passing. Little did I know that was all going to change as if being taught the lesson of a lifetime.
At the forefront of my mind were things that I look back on now and snicker. I wished the days were longer, to get more done. I rushed through phone calls and bedtime rituals to get a few minutes of “me time.” We had meals on the run that were seldom together as a family. I gave a boatload of energy to the future and how I hoped it would unfold. My thoughts were filled with to-do’s, what’s next and how fast it could all happen.
Did you ever hear a vinyl record screech to halting stop? THAT’s exactly what would happen next.
Since winter was almost over in the New York area, I held onto the hope of an early spring. Cold is my kryptonite, so I basked in the thought of being outside in the warm sun (pun intended). Then what seemed to be out of nowhere, the dreaded COVID-19 (aka coronavirus) hit. The world was turned upside down and a new, surreal normal began. We scrambled like hungry hamsters to buy food and the almighty toilet paper. We were sequestered to our homes hoping to stay healthy and sane. We watched as the number of infected rose and people debated the best course of action. Things went from high gear to a complete standstill.
As crazy as it may seem, I believe everything happens for a reason. (No, I am not saying that death and sickness is a good thing. Hear me out.)
Before the latest pandemic, unless you had brute strength and some rope, only a superhero could have stopped me. Now take my energy times the 7.6 billion people on our lovely planet and that’s a whole lot of moving and shaking to contain.
No one could have slowed an entire planet down - no president, no religious leader, no celebrity, no terrorist. I don’t care how powerful; this was bigger than that. Well, no one except the Big Guy himself. Call it God, Universe, Source – whatever. I am not a holy roller but think about it…as a collective, we were in dire need of a wake-up call and despite your religion or beliefs, we just got one of epic proportions.
Who else could have shut down ALL travel, stopped ALL professional sports, closed ALL malls, stores, and activities and kept ALL of our busy butts at home?
Who else could help us see past the car we drive, the labels we wear and all other superficial nonsense?
Who else could have slowed us down to revisit the truly important things in life; things like our basic needs, our family, our health and helping others?
Who else could help us see that spending our time doing things we dislike, is a waste of precious time?
Who else could remind us that laughter, love, and hope are the ONLY currencies worth any value?
Who else could remind us that as cliché as it may seem, life is precious, and we ALL could benefit from remembering that?
Who else could press a COLOSSAL reset button and give the entire planet a wake-up call?
Who else?
Well, I don’t know about you, but I know who could have pulled off such an unworldly feat!
I am sad that so many have been affected but I am also hopeful that maybe as a whole this will open our eyes. I also know that the person I was a few short weeks ago has been duly reminded of what’s TRULY important. As a result, like many others, I have unequivocally slowed my roll. I am solely focused on the present and celebrate a new appreciation of everything from health to the last piece of paper towel.
Now my family and I play board games, eat together and work together (literally). I have been forced to look at life very differently and I appreciate that. While the story is not ended, the lessons are loud and clear.
“Life is a question and how we live it is our answer.” Gary Keller
Sending healthy and happy vibes.
Just when we thought all was lost, we took matters into our own hands and manifested exactly what we wanted anyway.