Sequestered and Secluded…My time in Quarantine!!
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything. My dad has been having health issues that have pretty much dominated most of my time of late. But here we are (March 26, 2020) most of us quarantined. Schools have been closed now for two weeks and may be for the remainder of the year. Our churches are meeting via internet and relationships are being nurtured through Facebook, Face Time, texting and phone calls. Daily, our lives are changing. We have literally gone from normalcy to complete uncertainty. We wake every morning to news that is worse than the day before. It’s so weird that we have all the comforts we’ve always enjoyed, unlike the times when we’ve been snowed or iced in without power and ability to connect to the outside world.
There is so much speculation, fear, concerns, unknown territory that one is easily discouraged and prone to worry! Many are out of work; soon not able to pay their bills. I know that for us, we will definitely feel the impact of our schools closing, as we only earn money from these schools if we show up to work. No work, no pay! Thankfully, we both continue to receive our teacher’s retirement, but others are not so fortunate. All unnecessary medical procedures have been postponed, doctors are practicing over the phone and by email, groceries are in limited supply and we are being told just going out into public not only puts you at risk but your other family members as well. Hospitals are unable to get basic protective equipment such as masks, gloves, and such for their medical staff and patients are being denied much needed ventilators, medications and protection as well. This is just all TOO MUCH to take in, but it’s real and it’s really happening!!
I want to take this opportunity to share with you some of my thoughts and how I am approaching and handling this situation. First I want to tell you the kind of things we are actually experiencing. My dad is highly vulnerable to this virus as is his new wife; he is 82 and she is 80 and both have extensive health issues. He still has an open wound we are tending, trying to keep his diabetes under control, and treating bed sores as well. Our youngest daughter is a Nurse Practitioner at UAB in a very critical service, Heart and Lung transplant. She is being exposed to all kinds of things. People that she comes in contact with each shift, have been exposed to patients testing positive for Covid 19. She is being denied the use of a face mask as well as other beneficial protection. Our son in law owns and operates a landscaping business that may have to close due to distancing that is being imposed by authorities. Our oldest son only has a few more days of sick/vacation left before he will have no income as a result of the virus mandates. We have a daughter in law that is an oral surgeon assistant that has few days to be compensated for, as she is considered part time because she works four days a week, but often more than 40 hours during week. Therefore, she has few employee benefits. Her office is now only open for emergency surgery. My husband I have lost over $10,000 in earnings as a result of the school closures and an additional $1,500 in private studio lessons, and income tax is at hand. I could list several more things, but I think you get the idea here. While this is our reality, I realize others are currently fighting cancer, families are losing and burying loved ones. Many can’t pay bills, can’t provide for their families and are drowning in this mess!
So, I realized early on, I had a choice to make. I could be fearful, worry everyday, continually saturate myself with negative news, binge on Netflix, etc., etc. OR I could choose to be thankful, joyful and productive. I chose to be thankful, joyful and productive. I want to share with you how I am spending my time and how I’m using this “gift of time” to my benefit.
First, I’m setting my alarm each morning at 5:00 a.m. just like I ALWAYS have done. I get up, make coffee, then I go to my favorite chair and I sit for sometimes up to an hour in the dark. I just sit quietly, I breathe deeply and I talk to God. I listen to God and meditate on the things he has spoken to me over time, especially the day previous. Then I journal. Much of what I journal is an accounting of what is going on in my life, expressing gratitude for the good things in my life, updating the progress being made with the manifestation of my Vision Board and anything that the Holy Spirit speaks to me. Next, I open my Bible. I start with the two places I’ve been studying in the O.T. and N.T. and often that leads me to other passages as the Lord directs me. All of this coffee, meditation, prayer, Bible study and journaling time would usually be done within an hour prior to the quarantine, but now it sometimes takes 2-3 hours. But I’m still finished most days by 8 a.m. I can’t begin to tell you how calming this is to my spirit. T.V. is NEVER turned on! It’s strictly a time to rejuvenate my spirit, mind and body. It sets me straight. It helps me focus and it helps me gain the energy needed to minister to others. At the beginning of all this madness, I asked the Lord to show me daily how I can help others. Show me how I can serve and minister. I felt very impressed to share on almost a daily basis with a group of people that matter to me and I know could benefit from encouragement. It is a group of about 25. I make sure to share with them before I start my day following my time of meditation, prayer and study.
After I’ve finished what I described above, I purpose to work on things regarding my coaching business/ministry. I blog, make video’s and brainstorm ideas that I think would be of use on my website and coaching clients. I have an ongoing list of things that need to be done throughout our home that I can accomplish without anyone’s assistance. So I try to address at least one to two of these each day. I decide what we will be having for dinner and do whatever “early” prep can be done. Of course I am still adhering to my regular schedule of cleaning, laundry and household duties. This takes about an hour or so each day. I also continue to do my daily workout’s just like I would do before going to school each day. The exercise really helps eliminate stress and gives me the much needed energy to sustain me the rest of the day. Due to the school closures, I am investigating options for teaching through apps and internet. I’m also developing a way to test students for beginning band without having to actually put an instrument on the lips or in the mouth. This is going to be a huge issue once this virus is over and gone. Parents and students will be very apprehensive about our system for assessing them if it continues to include mouthpieces on and in the mouth. We’ve done this for years, using sanitizers between each student. But, I can see where this is not going to be an acceptable practice due to CoronaVirus!!! We also continue to keep our daughter’s two kids on the days she is at the hospital, which is sometimes only Wed but other weeks both Wednesday and Thursday. I continue to coach several people via phone, text and email and am working on some certifications for my coaching practice. All I do in a days time is done basically from 8-3pm. I’m keeping a schedule just like it would have been as far as time, had schools not closed. Somewhere between 3-4 pm, I give myself permission to do whatever things I enjoy. It might be some sort of craft, could be a favorite tv series, but it always includes READING! I’ve been able to do so much reading and I love it!!!
I have to say, that keeping a schedule and staying busy has been therapeutic. It leaves little time for worry and panic. I refuse to worry. This situation is something I cannot control. And worry will not impact this situation but only cause me to be sick…sick in my thoughts, my mind and then my body. I am limiting the amount of news I ingest. I watch and listen to uplifting messages from my favorite preachers, leaders and teachers. I’ve bought dvd’s of teachings and concepts that I want to learn more about. I’m on purpose trying to be apart of an answer here rather than a complainer and whiner. I have purposed to be a person of gratitude and joy. I’m choosing this. It really is my choice. Am I tempted to be concerned about all the things I listed earlier that is going on in our family? Oh yes I am. But every time a worrisome, fearful thought comes to my mind, I immediately get rid of it. I say out loud the opposite. I say out loud the good outcomes I am expecting. I make positive confessions about myself and my family based on God’s Word. I meditate on that Word and speak it throughout the day. I refuse to fear! I refuse to worry! I choose to be grateful and productive. I am choosing to use this “gift of time” to be an encourager, to be successful, to be a nurturer to my family, to be a learner, to grow and enlarge my capacity for compassion and grace. I’m choosing to live my Best Life Now!!! I sincerely pray that you will use your time wisely as well; that you will find creative ways to be productive and help others through this trying time. We don't know the exact date, but there IS an end to this....things ALWAYS change...never remains the same. Ask God to give you guidance on how to spend your time. Don't wait for this to pass before you start living YOUR Best Life Now....go ahead...start it now!!!
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