Lessons from the Pandemic

I don’t know about you but I always try to find little life lessons in every pandemic that I face. Ok – I’ve only faced one, but regardless, I believe that every situation can provide a plethora of life lessons. Here are the top things that I have learned over the last month while dealing with the current crisis.

1. If you are looking for a funny video that you’ve seen somewhere, be careful of what you put into the google search bar. I was searching for a video of a Zoom meeting that ended with someone unaware that the meeting was still active when they got up from their desk. I would recommend not searching for “Zoom meeting no pants” since this is apparently code for “Send me porn”.
2. There is such a thing as too much information…and if you have spent the last 30 days wondering what to believe, you are right on track with the definition of “normal functioning adult”. I loved this video that recapped the ever changing recommendations.
3. You actually don’t need a good reason to not clean your house. Any reason will do…the more random the connection, the better. My generation was taught that you need to wait thirty minutes after eating before going swimming because you might get some type of cramp that will make you drown. I have adapted that thinking to rationalize that I can’t mop the floor after I’ve showered because there are germs and I am clean. The science behind both are dubious but if it worked for my mothers generation, I feel like I can make it work for mine!
4. We can all live on less. I check our bank balance on a daily basis after having had our first overdraft in the past fifteen years…and it was to the IRS. We were able to correct the issue before it became a problem, but you can call me neurotic now. For the past two months, we’ve had days on end that the balance doesn’t change, something that a year ago would have been unheard of. I mean, Amazon purchases typically post by the next morning…Target is usually a few days behind. (Don’t ask why I know that…) I can’t decide if the realization that I don’t need to purchase worthless items at 2am makes me feel empowered, or angry that I wasted so much money on useless stuff for the past 50 years.
5. The idea of working at home is much more enticing before you actually do it. I have heard from multiple people that they are ready to head back to the office. The novelty of zooming without pants on is over. Everyone is ready to get back into their professional attire (and not just the top half) if they still fit, and get out of their house. (I for one, am hoping that half of the population actually does like working from home since I don’t miss them on my early morning drive to work.)

So there is the top five life lessons from the pandemic. I have also learned how to clap out The Cup Song which is not nearly as useful as learning to save money, but much more fun. There is, apparently, a YouTube for anything you want to learn.

I’m thinking of learning to play the drums next.

Don’t tell Eric.