5 Top Things Covid-19 Taught Me

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

I had plans to travel to Paris, France the first days of March 2020 and my mom, aunts, and anyone who knew I had travel plans begged me to cancel. “Didn’t you hear about the virus that is spreading around the world”? I did hear about it and I shrugged it off. I wanted to go to Paris.

We had been planning our trip to Paris for about 5 years and we finally found the dates that worked; I wasn’t cancelling.

We made it to Paris. We didn’t have masks or sanitizers. We went to all the museums that were mostly empty. We ate at Le Grand Colbert and drank champagne. Hermes was the only place that was packed as they launched their new lipstick collection, and we rode the carousel at the foot of the illuminated Eiffel Tower one evening. Was going to Paris risky? Yes, it was. Would I do it again? Probably.

I reasoned that this virus was just like all the other viruses. I thought that by the time we arrived in Paris the virus would disappear. Sadly, almost 20 months later and we are still living with the virus and all its variants.

I got Covid towards the end of March. I caught it from my son who caught it from someone in his school. He came home from school with a slight fever. His pediatrician looked me straight in the eyes and said, “I have no idea if your son has the coronavirus and there is no way for me to test for it”. I went home, gave him Tylenol, and prayed. A few days later I started getting symptoms. There was nothing I could do, except pray. I prayed a lot, for myself, my family, and anyone that was sick anywhere in the world.

Like many, I thought this couldn’t happen, not in 2020 with the scientific and technological advances of the world. And yet, the world stopped because of a virus.

These are the 5 top things I learned during and after Covid:

1. I am grateful for my sense of smell like never before. I never thought much about the blessing of the sense of smell until I couldn’t smell anything for about 3 weeks. I only noticed it was gone when I was cleaning my kitchen with Clorox (that I regarded to be as valuable as gold) and I didn’t smell it. I initially thought I was sold a batch that wasn’t really Clorox until my son walked into the kitchen and said, “Wow, why so much Clorox mom” and then I knew…I had lost my sense of smell. The glory and gratefulness I felt when I regained my sense of smell was palpable. I could smell Clorox, my perfume, and delicious foods again!
2. We have control over nothing. How little and unprotected did you feel during the lockdown? I felt extremely vulnerable and I knew the moment everything shut down that GD was giving the world a very loud and powerful message. We have control over nothing.
3. Nothing will happen if I don’t answer the text, phone call, or email as urgently as I used to. Self-care and self-love are perceived even in your texts and emails and especially on a phone call. So if you are rushed, not feeling great, anxious and any other negative feeling, take care of yourself, calm down, and breathe BEFORE you reply to the text, phone call, or email.
4. Not everyone was happy and safe at home during lockdown. I was so grateful that during lockdown I was in my home safe with the people I loved and loved me. I was very aware of the many that were in homes that were abusive, crowded, and not safe because I remember a time when I felt unsafe in my home. My heart goes out to those people; being home was the last thing they wanted.
5. This too shall pass. One of the things life and yoga have taught me is that you need to honor your feelings, allow yourself to feel them then release them. It is so hard to do, yet if you don’t acknowledge and feel your emotions, they will linger and you will not heal. FEEL IT, RELEASE IT and know THAT THIS TOO SHALL PASS.