Life in the Time of Corona

We are living through an unprecedented time in human history. Due to the threat of the Corona Virus, we have all been ordered to shelter in place. At this moment in time, practically the entire world is on lockdown. Life, as we once knew it, has come to a sudden stop. There is understandably a great deal of fear and uncertainty in the air. People are literally afraid to take a deep breath. 

The hardest part is not knowing how long this event will last or if things will ever be the same again. Many of us are stuck at home right now with nothing to do, and it can be challenging to stay positive as the days go by. Instead of focusing on all the drawbacks of our current situation, let’s see what happens when we look for the silver lining in all of this.
 
Silver lining #1- Free time.
A common complaint I hear from people is that there just isn’t enough time to do all the things they want to do. If only they had more time, then they would finally be happy. Well, here you go… here’s a whole bunch of time… are you happy yet? Now you’ve finally got time to do all those things you’ve been putting off until later. Remember that novel you were going to write? Or that artwork you were going to create? That project you’ve been putting off for when you had some free time? Well, now might be the perfect time to get started on that. Seriously, if not now, then when?
 
Silver lining #2- No rush.
Did you ever notice how much of life is spent being in a hurry? It’s like the whole world is in a rush to get things done. Everyone’s going full throttle, gripping the steering wheel tight, trying to make it to their next appointment on time. Remember what it was like to have an appointment? Remember when it actually mattered what time of day it was? Ever since this lockdown event began, it’s like time has been standing still. There is no hurry to get anywhere because there is nothing going on, anywhere. The rush is finally over. Let’s appreciate this feeling of timelessness while it’s here. We have been given the rare opportunity to temporarily step out of the rushing current and experience a different relationship to the passage of time- one that is based upon the principles of stillness and presence instead of the constant motion and excessive consumption that drives modern life.   
 
Silver lining #3- Metamorphosis.
There is a certain time in a caterpillar’s life when it decides that it’s time to go inside a cocoon for a little while. Weeks later, it emerges from this self-imposed isolation having undergone a profound transformation. Granted, this period of isolation that we are going through is not exactly self-imposed, however we are all being forced into our own ‘cocoons’ for the time being. You can either spend your time fretting about your current circumstances and worrying about the future, or you can treat this time as an opportunity for personal transformation. This lockdown is a fact of life and there is nothing you can do about it except wait it out. Just know that someday this will come to an end and you will be free to go out and live your life again. Who you are mentally, physically and spiritually when you emerge from your ‘cocoon’ will be a direct reflection of how you spent your time while in isolation. Like it or not, you are being forced to go through a metamorphosis right now. Whether or not you emerge as a beautiful butterfly at the end of all this is entirely up to you.