I knew if I looked hard enough, I could find a valuable gift in this pandemic reality that has enveloped us all. It wasn’t that obvious in the first couple of days or weeks, but it appeared when I allowed myself to let it take shape in my mind.
I suppose I am not the only one that feels like I have too much time on my hands. Finding things to do and people to call fills up a good amount of the day, but honestly it still leaves me with hours to use on whatever I can find. Frankly, it took some effort to clear the anxiety and distraction of the Covid-19 attack before the gift became evident. The problem was in my head and it needed to be fixed. The gift is something we’ve all felt we never had enough of with all the daily running around we did before having to stop cold. The gift of time to stop, think and consider who we are and where we are and what we want the future to be is now in abundant supply.
This interruption in the life I had created allows me to look ahead without the pressure of getting to the next plane flight, making the next sales call or rushing through the onslaught of emails. There is now time to ponder some serious “what ifs” that might not have gotten the attention they can demand currently. I find myself considering multiple options and taking the time to seriously consider the impact of each choice and what would be needed to get there. The time to ponder is a gift that has appeared at a time that otherwise feels more like a sentence for a crime I didn’t commit.
My wife and I have spent a fair amount of time and conversation on our life situation and where we want to end up. There are way more options available when you take to the time to slow the process down and figure out what each option would require. Defining retirement, choosing where to live, thinking about free time activities and managing finances aren’t as daunting when we can stop and put our full attention on those topics. What we know now is there are decisions that must be made, and once made actions that must take place to create the life we’ve always been working towards.
That gift of time is one that is there for anyone now, so please use it wisely before the old normal rushes back in and steals it from you.
