I don’t know about you, but I haven’t talked to my friends and family as much in the last year as I have over the last two or three days. I’ve taken it for granted; time with them. Sharing space with them. Hugging them.
That being said, humanity has come together more in the last month or so than I’ve witnessed, perhaps in my entire life. I’ve seen food pantries set up on neighborhood streets offering people a chance to trade an item in order to take an item they may need. Watched Italians singing together from their balconies. I’ve seen the internet being used as a mechanism to unite, rather than divide.
I’ve had virtual happy hours with my friends from all around the country. My children and I have watched astronauts reading from the International Space Station, Museums from all around the world are offering free online virtual tours of their exhibits, Disney released Frozen II two months early on their streaming service!! (Parents collectively rejoice!)
But we could’ve been doing these things before, right? We could’ve been calling our parents more regularly, we could’ve been having “zoom” happy hours before, but we weren’t.
And now we are.
I see people from all walks of life answering a call, a seemingly simple one: stay home. For the good of humanity. Stay home.
My husband and I have spent more time with our children. Teaching them, having hard conversations with them, reading with them, going on simple scavenger hunts, watching the leaves blow in the wind. Simple things. Is it totally crazy that this horrible terror has had the power to bring us together? Could this unfathomable situation have triggered some sort of a reset button on how we collectively perceive life?
I think this is one of those generationally defining moments where we can choose to go one way or another. A “Goofy Movie,” sort of moment. Eventually, when all of this inevitably slows down and life reaches some level of what we used to consider “normal,” will we fall back into our old patterns of bickering on Facebook about the latest scandal or will we keep these fleeting moments in our hearts and never take touch for granted again. Never think twice about “turning the other cheek” and remembering our common good. Never questioning whether or not to feed the hungry, because now we all face one common threat. One that no one seems immune to.
Let’s use this moment and let it transform us into what we could have been all along. And not just move on from it and return to “business as usual” after everything blows over.
I know we’ve been offered this chance. And I know I’m not going to take anything for granted again.
**I found this article helpful when talking to my kids about the virus, I hope it helps you too.
We want to hear from you! What have you been watching? What have you been reading? Has anyone learned a new instrument? Have you picked up an old hobby? Where has joy found you during this odd season of life? Email us at fumcfw@gmail.com and let us know.