2020 has been filled with anxiety, pain and loss.  But I promise you, it’s not all bad.

I’ve been listening to “Times Like These” by The Foo Fighters over and over for the past two months and wasn’t sure why It was speaking to me so deeply (besides it being an awesome song).  After taking a step back, I realized we are living through history albeit challenging, but it’s also a very special time. 

And then, there’s this.  Life paused for three months and it shook our worlds.  Many of us were feeling anxious and sad during that time, especially in March and early April.  It was like we were watching a movie except it was real life.

Then this song played and the lyrics nearly knocked me over:

“It’s times like these, you learn to live again. It’s times like these you give and give again.  It’s times like these you learn to love again.  It’s times like these, time and time again.”

These words mean so much in this new Covid world because this experience taught me to live again after the mandatory pause.  When is this ever going to happen again?  When are you going to have the opportunity to do almost anything you want because you can’t go anywhere?  Hopefully, your situation isn’t dire.  Personally, I’m able to spend quality time with family eating dinner with them every night, playing board games and going for walks everyday.  And arguing sometimes, but thats part of it..

I realize that’s a peachy way of looking at it and it may be a little exaggerated, but we need to be positive.  As a Gen X’er, times like these are reminiscent of how I grew up in the late 70’s and early 80’s, which is something I always wished my kids would experience because to me, those were the glory days.  Except now they have iPads, Zoom, and Netflix…

I still get emotional thinking of all the anxiety and pain many of us are still going through emotionally, personally, and financially, but this is exactly when major growth can happen.  Our character is built in times like these.  I’ve gotten better by focusing on what’s most important in my life and taking advantage of this unique opportunity to do meaningful things I never had time for before March.

I truly hope this finds you, your family, friends and neighbors well.  Stay positive and always look on the bright side of things while you’re grinding through whatever your circumstance is.