Life Has Been a Challenge Lately

Life has been a challenge lately.

It's been very different for all of us over the last couple of months. We've all had to slow down and live life a completely different way thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. In some ways it's been hard - people are missing out on graduation ceremonies, kids had to leave school for the year without saying goodbye to their teachers and friends, vacations that had been planned have had to be cancelled, holidays have been celebrated without families being together, people have been out of work, businesses have had to close, major events have been cancelled.

And to top it off we're having to spend weeks alone without friends and loved ones around...it's all been a challenge.

But there have been some good things too!

Even though life has been a challenge, it hasn't all been bad either.

I've seen more families going for a walk in our neighborhood than I've ever seen before, I've seen people going to the parks and the lake just to get outside and enjoy some fresh air, and I've seen more kids than ever riding bikes and playing in their front yards. Social media has even been full of amazing videos, pictures, and posts about families playing games, doing puzzles, and doing wild and crazy stuff at home just to entertain themselves and have fun. It's been so refreshing to see all of that! I love that families are reconnecting and spending quality time together.

If you've found yourself realizing how nice this is and how out of control your life was before, take this opportunity to make some changes in your life.

We all have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week...what are you choosing to do with those hours? Spending them on busy work? Doing things that are really just a waste of your time? Committing yourself to things that you really don't want to be doing but you feel obligated? Running your kids around to different activities every single day because you think they'll miss out on life if you're not?

Maybe it's time to re-evaluate all those things. Ask yourself if it's truly necessary to do each thing that presents itself to you. Or would time spent with your family or on hobbies you enjoy be a better use of your time.

Let this be a time to reset and make a change.

I feel like being busy has become a badge of honor in our country and it's bothered me for years. When you ask someone how they're doing, that's almost always the first thing they'll say, "Oh, I've just been busy!" Why is that everyone's focus? This pandemic has forced us to NOT be busy and it's refreshing.

People are actually spending time with their families, people are cooking meals and eating at home together, families are playing games and having fun! And it's so great to see.

It's so important to take time to do the things that bring you happiness and joy.

We all have to work and make a living but you have a choice in how you do that. And you have a choice about what you do with your time outside of work. Choose wisely. Treat each minute and each hour of the day as the precious commodity that it is. None of us are guaranteed any certain time on this earth. We all need to make sure we're living the best life we can, enjoying the time with our family while we have it.

I can speak from experience when I say that your kids grow up in the blink of an eye and then you're wondering where the time went. Enjoy that time with them! After all, we've only got one life. The more time we waste on things that don't matter means less time for the things that DO matter.

What about you?

Has life been a challenge for you as well? Perhaps the pandemic has caused you to rethink some things. Maybe we will live differently because of what we experienced. In the end it could be a good thing.