What I've Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Let’s be real, our world is in complete disarray right now. Seven months into this global pandemic and my state is currently the epicenter for it all. When this started back in March, I was eight months pregnant with my third baby, about to celebrate at my diaper party when the suggested amounts for a get together was 50 people or less. During our celebration for our little one, my phone kept ringing from my then 11-year-old’s school, warning us that they would be shut down come that Monday. Looking back, we had no clue what was to come.

I have lots of opinions on this, as do the rest of you. But I want to focus on the most important aspect of this — family. Like everyone else, my family of five has been mostly stuck together since March … leaving only for work, and necessary trips.

Instead of causing mass fights with each other, COVID-19 has me focusing on what was missing — togetherness. In the early days of this we would pack up a cooler filled with drinks and food, and hit the road for a day. We would admire all the sights previously forgotten about because life was just too busy. We would stay up late playing board games, maybe getting a little too competitive at times. Spend time outside while our cheeks were getting wind burned, riding those bikes, throwing the balls around and being a family.

When things started to open I remember telling my significant other that the pandemic made me feel closer to them all. I appreciated the little things more, and it made me cherish time the most. Time slips away in the blink of an eye, and it made me seriously breathe and appreciate what was in front of me.

As with all things, life needs to get back in motion. The biggest lesson of all during these scary times of uncertainty … lean on the ones you love. Time is limited, use yours wisely with the ones who deserve it.