Coronavirus, COVID-19, worldwide pandemic…I do not love thee. In fact, I loathe thee. The anxiety, the frustration, the worry, the uncertainty, the disruption of our normalcy that this virus has caused has been a tough one to overcome. Everyone has been affected in one way or another and we could go on and on talking about the devastation that has come upon us. But we cannot succumb to the doom and gloom that surrounds us. Instead, now is the time to shift our focus on to the little things in life. And even though there are many negatives to focus on, there are equally as many good things that surround us if we just look.
Let’s romanticize the little things in life as an ode to Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem.
Little things in life, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…”
Sunrise :: how you light up the dark and send us a message that today is, in fact, a new day.
Morning Coffee :: that first sip that wakes me up slowly as I declare, “Today WILL BE a good day.”
Having the ability to hear the quietness :: this is such a luxury that most do not get to experience often.
Inward reflection :: “have I been the type of person I want to be remembered as?”
The amazon shipment on the doorstep :: 100% most exciting part of the day.
Children napping :: when you stare at their beautiful faces and think to yourself, “How can I love another human THIS much?”
Beautiful days :: when the temperature is just right and there’s a light breeze in the air.
Late night Netflix bingeing :: just one more episode, just ONE more episode.
The relief of having a good cry :: because having a daily meltdown is normal these days. But it feels so good.
Breakthroughs with loved ones :: issues that have been buried coming to the surface to be resolved in love and growth.
Birds chirping :: as the world slows down, we can hear the birds singing their beautiful tune. A sound we may have overlooked throughout our busy days.
Long, deep discussions on what’s really important in life :: because we’re only on this earth for a short while.
Reassessing what “normals” we’ll quickly return to, and which ones we won’t :: Dave Hollis gave some sound advice on being careful what habits we return to.
Yard work :: channeling your inner child as your play in the dirt.
Reading a good book :: escaping your reality to get lost in a different narrative. The joy.
Fishing :: the perfect balance of peace and excitement, if the fish are biting, of course.
Having quiet time with God :: in prayer or meditation, talking, listening, connecting.
Deep cleaning :: creating a sanctuary of our own and preparing our homes for a more functional and peaceful way of life.
Memes :: used as a coping mechanism to get through this.
Bedtime stories :: passing down your favorite tales to your children from when you were a kid.
Cooking :: creating new and inventive dishes with the family and looking forward to every meal of the day, and snack time, too.
Yoga pants :: all day, every day, because who can actually fit in their jeans?
Zoom, facetime, houseparty video chats with friends :: I miss you all and love you so much.
All things arts and crafts :: a time for creativity and imagination to be set free.
Following your favorite celebrities :: and copying what they’re doing just so you can be like them.
Long walks :: catching in every glimpse of nature along the way and slowing down enough to really appreciate all the good things in life.
I read a recent post that made a great analogy about how we’re all in the same storm, but we’re not in the same boat. Your household may look different than mine. And how you choose to spend this time may be different from mine. But there is a universal beauty in the way we are forced to focus on the little things. Once the virus is gone, and we have all gone back to our crazy lives, I hope that we don’t forget the little things, because oh how I do love thee.
