We are lucky

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

blucky

You probably don’t feel so lucky right now — or maybe you do. I must say, now is a great time to be an introvert. Who knew it’s the introverts who can more easily weather a pandemic? We like to be at home. We like to be with just a small tribe. Sometimes we really like to be alone, too.

Now I want you to close your eyes and imagine if this had happened 20 years ago. Heck, it probably did. I mean, there was 9/11 after all. There was Y2K, too. Yes, we survived those and many other tragedies and most of us will survive this one, too. Today we have so many more tools that can help us to weather this storm.

Fairytales and Fitness

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We are so connected
Being connected isn’t always such a good thing (not if you’re glued to your phone while walking), but in this case, it is. We can Facetime. We can text. We can follow each other on Social Media. In times like these, that’s a good thing.

I tried so hard to teach my mom how to use a smart phone, but unfortunately she wasn’t really interested and she has a pretty severe hand palsy that made it difficult so she gave up. Yes, I tried to teach her how to use the microphone. I can and do stay in touch with her by phone!

We can get so much information — so fast
I definitely don’t suggest that you stay glued to the news 24/7 — it’s a really bad idea. Always check out any information you do glean online, too, there’s lots of misinformation out there.

We live in a time, though, that makes it so easy to get information out to most people. We are lucky!

We have entertainment at our fingertips — 24/7
I remember what a big deal MTV was when it first premiered. I couldn’t watch it, as my parents didn’t have cable TV. Back then, though, there wasn’t much on after a certain time. That’s why MTV was so ground breaking. Now we have almost first run movies and more TV series than we could watch in a lifetime due to cable, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and more.

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Most of us have hundreds (at least!) of books at our fingertips
When I was growing up, I reread the same few books over and over again. I knew them inside and out. I don’t get to know books like that anymore, which is kind of sad, but the reason — there are just so many books available to us — is good!

Audiobooks, too, which are perfect while driving (most of us will probably be spending much less time in our cars in the days ahead) — or while running.

Virtual friends
You can’t catch COVID-19 through your computer screen, thank goodness (although maybe from your computer screen if you touch it!). It’s so nice to check in with you all through the linkups, hear your news, get tips on how to stay sane in troubling times.

Online Games
I’m not really a gamer, about all I know about online games is Words with Friends. No, I don’t play it — maybe it’s a good time to start, although I’m actually not great with Scrabble, which is weird, I have a good vocabulary. Games in real life with your family is a great idea right now, too.

Keep the ones that aren’t so lucky in your prayers & heart
Not everyone lives in a first world country, with easy access to clean water and medical care. Realize how very lucky we are, and pray for the ones that won’t be that lucky.

These are tough times, with the toughest thing being the uncertainty. There is always a silver lining, if you look hard enough for it. I actually think that we’ve been given an opportunity here — to evaluate our lives, the “busyness” of our lives, and whether or not that serves us. Now is the time to think about what is truly important to you. I hope that you can use this time to make positive changes in your life. For those that are afflicted, I pray that you get the care you need and come through this and back to health. — Chocolaterunsjudy

What are you doing to stay calm?

Any online or regular games you recommend?

Are you practicing a little more self care right now?

Reducing Anxiety YT Thumbnail

ICYMI: I know that most of us are anxious and on edge right now. Being on high alert all the time is actually really damaging to our immune system.  I created this meditation to help you reduce anxiety here. In fact, I had so much material that I plan to create a another guided meditation to reduce anxiety soon — stay tuned!

I’m also working on one for irritability, because with all the close quarters and disruption to our lives, tempers are likely to flare. If you do like these meditations, please press the like button — it helps me continue to bring everyone free videos.

Be the first to know when I release new videos: sign up for my newsletter here to find out when I add new videos, and you’ll receive a free Self Love Affirmation PDF and a bonus audio-only version of this self love meditation.

27 thoughts on “We are lucky”

  1. So true, so many things to be grateful for!
    Just yesterday I had a virtual meeting with 15 other people, video and audio worked perfectly. Imagine we didn’t have that technology in place!

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      1. Yes, their flight is still confirmed, which is good! They are confined to their AirBnB apartment, which is a bit boring for them. But it’s only a few more days, and then they will be home.
        Thank you for asking, Judy! Have a great weekend, despite all the turmoil!

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  2. Yes those who are healthy and have a paycheck each week are lucky.

    Unfortunately that is not the case for many.

    I feel like I’m on information overload. Don’t want to turn the TV on.

    Luckily I’m a big knitter and reader. And Especially grateful to be a runner.

    hopefully we don’t go into lockdown because we won’t be even walking our dogs in that case.

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    1. Well aware that not every one has a weekly paycheck. The truth is if you still have a home, have family, have your health — those are still the most important things.

      I do not watch any more tv than I did before. I don’t read news when I get up, nor email — and that’s nothing new for me. You can only be on info overload if you choose to be. Not a good choice. It doesn’t take long to get news.

      I think there most likely will be a lockdown at some point, if you read posts from people in Europe, I think it’s most likely inevitable.

      What form it will take is another matter. You may still be allowed to walk your dogs — but if not, thankfully we have a fenced in backyard (not having that right now would be a nightmare, but even then, people will manage — we always do).

      Sometimes they only allow people to go out to the food store or the dr.

      We’ll see. Prepare for the worst & hope for the best.

      It hasn’t impacted my life too much — yet, anyway — which is not to say my life hasn’t been impacted at all. Unless you’re living off the grid — and even then — we had a friend who was fulfilling her dream by hiking the AT. And unfortunately she’s having to go home. She hopes to start later in the summer, and head south rather than head north as she was (also known as NoBo vs SoBo).

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      1. Yes if you are used to interacting with people everyday and go out after work with different groups of friends most evenings, this is quite a change. I rarely even run alone.

        We will get through it. Health is our number one priority.

        Many people will lose their homes and their businesses. So sad.

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  3. I’ve always been one to keep myself busy when left alone, so staying home does not bother me. I find it ironic that in a day in age when face to face contact has been put aside for texting, and virtual everything, those who do most of that are now annoyed by it. ( I know that probably wasn’t worded the best but do you know what I mean?)

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  4. I am so not an introvert and I get super antsy being the house. I have been doing FT chats but miss my crew of friends,I am finding lots to do at home though. Really thankful for my online running tribe to connect with, Stay well friend

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  5. I can imagine this is hard on your mom. Visits are curtailed and it is difficult to communicate by phone.

    We do have a lot to be grateful for. I have an introverted friend who said the same thing you did just yesterday. For her, it’s not a burden to spend time alone. She is glad for the relief from the need to socialize. I am glad for the online running community. It feels good to keep in touch, even if it’s not the cane as IRL.

    Keeping my fingers crossed Mt. Hood doesn’t get canceled!

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    1. Actually my mom is taking it pretty much in stride. It would have been a vastly different story if my Dad were still alive.

      I hope that Mt. Hood will go forward, but I’m also mentally prepared for it not too — it would be a major bummer, though!

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  7. I agree, we are lucky for the current times…not that we have a pandemic in our midst, but because we have so many coping tools at our fingertips (and onscreen). It’s great for our blogging tribe, too…I love staying connected with so many fabulous peeps 😉

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  8. Here’s what I’m grateful for:
    -my son is recovering from his accident; a potentially bad outcome was avoided.
    -I was able to come home from Florida to care for him and so far have avoided illness
    -friends who’ve reached out to make sure we are all ok
    -my runblogging communiity
    -food and sundries are plentiful (except for toilet paper and potatoes, go figure!)
    -while Illinois is on lockdown, my husband still is able to work
    -my employer is allowing me to work from home
    -my employer is providing furlough pay if we don’t make our hours

    There’s always good in every bad situation. You just have to look for it.

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    1. I totally agree with that last wendy, except on rare occasions. Sometimes bad things definitely happen & really no good comes from it.

      I’m glad your son is recovering. Very scary. My BIL had a really bad skiing accident years ago & it took him months to recover. Scary!

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  9. I told my sister earlier today that although these are weird and scary times, thank goodness for technology to help us get through all of this.

    I had a virtual happy hour with 3 friends on Tuesday and it was so much fun. It was nice to talk about nonsense and no worry about everything going on, even if it was just for 1-2 hours.

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  11. Thank you for posting a thoughtful & positive post. You’re correct we will get through this. We got through N1H1 outbreak in 2009-2010. Although I don’t remember taking the measures we are today. Whenever I enter our building for work they take my temperature. But this flu seems a bit more contagious. We are more diligent than ever with hand washing. I am continuing with life as normal as possible.

    What are you doing to stay calm? Keeping faith & prayer. Exercise helps too.

    Any online or regular games you recommend? I don’t game, but I am reading more.

    Are you practicing a little more self care right now? Yes. Eating well & exercising. Keeping everything clean.

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  12. I was just saying how helpful a twitter list of culturals I made after Sandy has proved in seeing who was open (now all closed, save for parks) and who is doing virtual programming. Plus many of us are able to work from home, which wouldn’t have been possible 20 years ago.
    The differences in TV consumption when I was in Japan in 01 and 05/06 was stark. The first time dad mailed me VHS tapes

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