This week I am stepping away from worrying about the pandemic and election conflict and confusion and am instead focusing on the things I am grateful for. Our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, asked members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to post on Social Media every day for seven days something that we are grateful for. Gratitude is the ultimate inoculation to protect us against the illness of conflict, bitterness, disputations, anger, and overall anxiety about an uncertain future. I believe President Nelson is right and already feel much better after only two days of posting my feelings of gratitude.
As I think about what changes the pandemic has caused in my life and the life of my family, one thing stands out dramatically. That is the principle of prioritization. So many things have had to stop or be dramatically modified. Some that come to mind are, public events, weddings, funerals, baptisms, concerts, sporting events, in person school, conferences, travel, and so many other activities. I think of all the young families that have gone a spring, summer, and now fall, having to have school at home and either have reduced sports and other after-school activities or have had them completely cancelled. The absence of these things seemed so catastrophic and sad in the beginning. In so many ways, families have grown closer because they have had more time together and have needed to rely on each other for their fun and entertainment. Parents are cooking more and spending more time at home. Children are learning to talk more with their parents and slow down and spend more time at home with family.
Work life has changed so much. I am surprised to say that my reduction in travel has created a great advantage for my business. Now I have to spend my time having virtual meetings instead of face to face meetings. I can meet with people in Rapid City, Atlanta, Denver, Tucson, Charlottesville, and Orange Beach, all in one day! My productivity has actually gone through the roof. I never would have imagined how being forced to find another way to get things done would have created such a professional advantage for me. People are totally open to a Zoom meeting when they would have insisted that I be there in person in the past. I’m grateful for this change, and so is my wife.
I have a good friend who has turned the pandemic into a great time of building a relationship with his grandson. They have weekly virtual games of Battleship. This has become a serious matter. They have played over 150 games during the pandemic. Think about the memories this grandson is going to carry with him about the love he has for his grandfather for the rest of his life. Think about the wonderful relationships this grandson will likely have with his own grandchildren in the future, because of the example of his grandfather during the era of COVID-19. The pandemic is a true game changer – pun intended.
My wife used the additional time that the pandemic has given her to finish a children’s book that she has been working on for nearly four years. She wrote and illustrated it and completed it recently. She turned the pandemic into a time of finishing something that will be a legacy to our children, grandchildren, and perhaps, many others.
I, for one, am grateful for the positive changes the pandemic has brought into my life. I hope I don’t go back totally to the way things used to be. It would be good for all of us to rethink what new priorities we ought to keep when life goes back to “normal.”
#GiveThanks
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