I had some random thoughts about good fortune despite the popular concerns regarding COVID-19.
First, there’s this perspective on the job market. The highest national unemployment rate in many years...millions becoming unemployed in a matter of weeks. People getting furloughed or laid off. While there are others who can work from home or are actually still going to work in industries deemed as "essential" by the government, I fall into the former group. I’ve looked at my time away differently. I like to think of it as a "mini-sabbatical". In a way, it’s paid (due to some adjustments to unemployment benefits). The end result will be positive as long as the response is deliberately productive, taking advantage of the unique circumstances rather than wallowing in the uncertainty of it all.
For those like me who have been forced into a career break, it can be eye-opening as the struggle becomes very real and tomorrow depends heavily on how we choose to respond today...and the next day...and the day after that.
Zooming out and looking at the grander perspective, I also see a sort of "reset" in priorities. The isolation is giving people the opportunity to either face their demons—that are easier to ignore when we're so busy—or to recalibrate their lives by leveraging the extra time and limits to the usual distractions and excuses.
That said, I'm not ignorantly practicing positive thinking and pretending it's all good. Many have been severely impacted. Many have died, or have had someone close to them fall victim to the virus. In times like this, I remind myself to count my blessings and to stay focused on the things I can actually control.
I’m encouraged by all of you who are doing the same.
