5 Bright Spots in the Covid-19 Crisis

We are living in interesting times, aren’t we? 

I’ve tried to help my children understand how they are living history right now:  Social distancing.  Hundreds of cancelled events.  No school.  No sports.  No church.  No gatherings of any kind.

We are seeing things I have never seen in my lifetime, and hopefully will never see again!

Fear and misinformation is rampant, which leads to panic, which leads to some food and supply shortages. 

And no toilet paper.  Who ever dreamed it would be impossible to find toilet paper?

But in the midst of all the crazy, I see beautiful things emerging from this, too – bright spots in the darkness I hope remain with us long after COVID-19 is gone. 

 

Families are spending time together.

All over social media I’m seeing people celebrating family.  They’re going to the park.  (While keeping their distance from others, mind you!)  They’re building forts in the living room.  They’re playing board games.  They’re watching movies together as a family, or bingeing on old TV shows. 

And they’re enjoying one another.  And remembering what a gift and a blessing their families really are to them.

 

People are discovering that a lot of the “extras” in their schedule are not as essential to life as they once thought.

The modern American family has become slave to scheduled activity.  Most families spend the bulk of their time running in all directions trying to get from one (mostly unnecessary) scheduled event or activity to another. 

Basketball, football, baseball, and/or soccer practice.  Games.  Ballet.  Debate team.  Science club.  Volunteer opportunities.  Youth group.  Church functions. Especially when kids are often in school all day and both parents are working, hours more of weekly scheduled activity makes for exhausted kids and stressed-out parents!  And often the actual benefit of all these activities to the family at large is very, very small. 

If nothing else, all the cancellations are giving people an opportunity to reevaluate their schedules and decide which activities are really important, and which are just adding to their overall stress.

 

People are getting up-close and personal with homeschooling, and it is changing (some) minds.

There are people who, no matter what, will never be interested in homeschooling.  I get it. 

But people are having to do it!  And I’m seeing non-homeschoolers sharing links to all these amazing online resources and printable materials they likely never knew existed before.  For some, it’s just about keeping their kids busy, but others are beginning to see their own ability to nurture and supplement their child’s education.  That is but a half-step from full-on homeschooling, and some parents seem to be recognizing it!  I’ve bumped into multiple online conversations on the subject this week between parents who say they are seriously considering homeschooling in their future. 

 

People are returning to some lost arts and being more resourceful.  And they seem to be enjoying it!

I don’t think it’s even been necessary in most cases, but I see people making their own breads and baked goods — people who have never done that sort of thing before!  They’re cooking at home more now, too, and more often making things from scratch, or with ingredients they’ve never used before.

I see people making their own detergent and other cleaning supplies, or talking about using homemade baby wipes and cloth diapers. 

We really can get by without when we need to, and it seems some people are even turning it into an interesting adventure!

 

People are looking out for one another.

While I realize some of the social distancing is a result of fear, much of it stems from a sincere desire to protect others.  We don’t want to contract a disease ourselves, but neither do we want to spread it to someone else! 

I’ve seen and heard so many people offer their assistance to others, to run errands or do grocery shopping, or to share food or supplies with those who can’t find what they need in stores.  Situations like this often reveal selfishness and greed, but they cause love and kindness to shine as well.

So what bright spots have you seen in all of this?  While I hope this is something we never see again, it warms the heart any time you see good come from bad situations.

 

 

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