What am I thinking?! An Introspection on COVID-19
Most days we wake up, eat, get dressed, work/play/delve in the day, eat, undress, sleep (though not necessarily in that particular order) - repeat. But on a sunny day in March all that changed when the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that COVID-19 was now a pandemic. A pandemic, what does that mean? Simply put, itās a disease that has become wide-spread with no control in sight. I personally feel that pandemic is not a word to be taken lightly so I became one of the persons that will go down in history as being proactive.
Right around the second week of March, after it was declared a pandemic, being the natural over-thinker that I am, I set out to stock up on groceries. I grabbed the normal necessities like medications, masks, cleaning/disinfecting products, flour, rice, canned goods, and God forbid I forget to pick up an obscene amount of snacks - because who can survive an epidemic without snacks?
If your family is like mine, food is at the heart of every day. Sunday dinners are literally events in our family and everyday is a day to celebrate. Feeling lazy makes you hungry, working until late makes you hungry, feeling worried makes you hungry - heckā¦waking up makes you hungry! After all the shopping (and eating) came the COVID-19 memes and games from those claiming to be bored as a result of āhaving nothing to doā.Ā
Donāt get me wrong, Iām all for entertainment and Iām the first one to find a joke in an otherwise cold and feverish situation. But I believe there comes a time when we need to step back and take a look at the bigger picture. In a country where even on a good day thereās a shortage of bottled water at the largest water supplier and the fact that we depend greatly on imports for daily life to flow smoothly, it became a time of gripping concern.Ā
As someone coping with years of anxiety and depression, I overthink EVERYTHING! My mind works constantly every second of every day, so naturally it went into overdrive when the pandemic was announced. Among all the touts about COVID-19 there were thoughts like: How do I keep my family safe during this time? With any pandemic comes economic suffering, how will this affect my life? For how long? How will this affect my kids and their education? Are the government and business sector partners thinking about these things? Is Belize prepared to tackle whatās ahead? What about those persons whose livelihood ceased to exist on that faithful day in March? What about the kids who no longer have school to provide that one and only meal they look forward to for the day or the shelter theyāve become accustomed to from abuse? When will people JUST STAY PUT?!?!
Suddenly, everything just came crashing down around and what was left was high blood pressure, anxiety, fear, stress, depression, worry, frustration, and the list goes onā¦but one thing remained constant - my focus on the Lord. Through all the uncertainty I received a message that helped to simmer my overactive mind and reminded me to focus on the one thing that never waivers - FAITH. Faith is what allows us to look at the bigger picture and see the brighter side of things. Faith and His assurance reminds us that in times of great uncertainty we need to keep our eyes on God and make even the smallest blessings become the focal point of our thoughts and our lives.
All at once emotions came rushing in and I was reminded that although Belize hasnāt been as greatly affected as other countries (we have been blessed to have only 3 confirmed cases so far with no fatalities) we still have a lot of work to do and an even greater number of things to be thankful for. Amid what seems like a world of turmoil and crisis, I am thankful for these things: more time (so much so that people are now complaining that days are too long when just yesterday they didnāt know where the time went - go figure), all the hustle and bustle of daily life has subsided, fathers spending more time with their kids, fast food being replaced with home-cooked meals, people are learning about hygiene and proper hand washing, and all of a sudden money and material things donāt seem to have the same value to people, the world isā¦in essence - CLEANER AND QUIETER.
Reflecting on all this you know what Iāve realized? We are in the middle of a supernatural cleansing. An act thatās beyond the level of thinking of you and I, an act of love so great that only a parent (our creator) can understand. With the dreaded epidemic our world, our lives have changed (hopefully for the better) in some small way to put us on a path that aligns with His will. He has cleared the path for a world renewed and lives with purpose and meaning. He has opened up opportunities and forced us to love and help one another after weāve forgotten how to. We were focused for too long on gathering material things and obtaining titles, that we lost sight of the things that give our life substance and that donāt come with complex titles like love, peace, health, caring, and sharing.
So go, adhere to the nationwide state of emergency now declared, stay in your houses and remain in a state of mind that promotes faith in better things to come and remember to soak up the little things.
