A Silver Lining

A while back, there was a commercial on TV that showed a family sitting down to dinner, telling viewers that was how things “used to” be. Then the screen flashed to what things are like now, basically saying we needed to accept and to adapt to the frantic, hectic life of today’s world.

I haven’t seen that commercial for a couple of weeks but, every time I saw it, it made me angry. Because I don’t believe that’s how we were meant to live. And now, because of the pandemic, the world has slowed down and we have time to literally and figuratively “smell the roses.”

In order to minimize the spread of the virus, people are staying at home as much as possible, only going out to shop for the necessities. Many people are realizing they don’t need all of the things they thought they did. That there are more important things than money and possessions. Parents are spending more quality time with their children and families are once again sitting down to have dinner together.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Is there a silver lining to this horrible virus? The potential for positive change? A lesson to be learned from it? I think so.

Granted, when all of this is over – and it will be, some people will go right back to the stressful way they were living before the virus hit. But others will learn from it and CHOOSE to simplify and slow down their lives as much as possible. To go back to the basics. To focus on what’s most important to them. And to appreciate and to be grateful for all they have. Even a few small changes can make a big difference in the quality of our lives.