My mother always looked on the bright side of things, no matter the trouble.
While there’s nothing we can view as positive about the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve been keeping a mental list of little silver linings.
Before the outbreak, we were all consumed with presidential impeachment, ongoing mass shootings, wars and conflicts overseas, political battles and other gruesome news.
Now, all that is gone, at least temporarily, and it’s kind of nice. Countries are looking inward and focusing on survival, rather than outward on attacking other countries.
Working from home, while stressful at first, has become a pleasant change of pace, albeit strange in some ways, as we do not hightail it out to meetings, interviews and breaking news every day.
While families are forced to stay home, they are spending time with each other in this slowed-down world. Many are also getting outside and exercising, doing spring cleaning early and getting organized. People are reading books and sharing what they are reading on social media. And my guess is, they are cooking more and eating less takeout.
It is quiet outside, with few vehicles on the roads, and people aren’t scrambling to make purchases. While bad for the economy, there is an upside. The atmosphere is cleaner with less pollution.
Instead of hearing trucks rumbling by the newspaper office and sirens blaring down Front Street in Waterville, interruptions for those of us working from home now might include a cat climbing on the chair next to us, expecting a chat or a scratch on the chin.
They say animals help to relieve stress and, aside from family members, there are no better companions if one has to be isolated.
It is a time when we have the opportunity to produce our best selves — to help and encourage one another.
It is also an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and ensure we are more prepared the next time if, God forbid, there is a next time. And when it’s all over, we’ll move forward with a whole new perspective and appreciation for our lives.
Above all, this situation teaches us just how resilient we are. As terrible as the pandemic is — and the fact that we don’t know when it will end — we are sticking together to see it through.
We are not alone, everyone is working hard to fight it, and that gives us hope.
As my mother would say, “When you think you’ve got it bad, there’s always someone who has it worse.”
And yes, there’s that.
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