All life events in the immediate future have been placed on hold and canceled, or so it seems. Some of us are experiencing unchartered territory as we balance work from home and keeping our children occupied. Some of us, despite our desires to see our elderly family members, are keeping our distance out of mercy.

We’ve heard it all. To wash our hands, practice good social distancing and an overabundance of caution. Did you ever think eight weeks ago that we would be using these words so often? Did you ever think some would be afraid to fly on our big, beautiful aircraft? Did you ever think that when you got to your destination that all doors would be shuttered? Did you ever think that you would be bombarded by toilet paper memes on your social media feed?

My workplace that is usually full of hardware and cables and hustle and bustle of techie types smells like a dental clinic. We have been ordered to rotate in and out of our shop alternating mornings and afternoons in office and at home. My husband, gets off his flights to get to a hotel room to order take out and shut the door. In the industry, they like to call this practice “slam n’ click”. Thankfully, we are both still employed but this is our new normal for a while. A few days ago, Brett Harris of theReb published an article entitled, “5 Things To Remember When The Coronavirus Cancels Your Life“. Here’s what Brett said:

1. This has happened before
2. This is (probably) a big deal
3. You are not invincible
4. You can make a difference
5. This world is not our home.”-Brett Harris, theReb

Harris cites other pandemics, exile, famine, youth interrupted by war, faith and individuals who took a crisis and did what they could to make our world a better place. By the way, theReb (aka The Rebelution) is a great site for parents of teens (and teens). Lots of great jumping points for discussion on faith in a time such as this.

As we watch a pandemic unfold before our very eyes, it is easy to lose focus on the important things. It is easy to forget these things and get caught up by a sea of “breaking news” followed by a depressive state and a nap with hopes that it will all be over when we wake up. In light of Harris’ five things to remember, here are mine.

1. Fear will only get you so far.

The enemy of our souls wants us to fear. The enemy wants us to paralyzed by this fear. Isolation is the enemy’s friend. I am not saying that you should not isolate out of precaution but to isolate and worry that it is only a matter of time before you come down with COVID-19 is exactly what the enemy wants. Don’t give it to the enemy. I am surprised by how many posts I have seen from people who are worried that they are going to “get it”. WHY are they giving this power and authority over them and their families to the enemy? Here are a couple of words that hold more power than fear: love, faith, compassion, resolve, determination. I know there are more. Wake up, wash your hands, wash your face, eat your breakfast and pop your vitamins and be thankful for another day.

2. Be Considerate of Others

There are others who are going through the same emotions. Reach out to them. Talk to them. Practice generosity. Put yourself in other human beings’ shoes for a moment. Now is not the time to be selfish. You have every right to protect your health and well-being for yourself and those you love but also take into consideration others in your decisions. I have seen so many people bail out on their responsibilities at work for fear of “underlying health conditions”. These are perfectly healthy people, mind you, milking a system because they can. Your gluten intolerance does not make you more susceptible to this disease than your 40-something-year-old-coworkers’ high blood pressure. In fact, forgive me if I am wrong, but it just might be the other way around. Stop wallowing in your own misery. Give it up and dig your heels in. For this moment in time is not about you. Actually, it never was about you to begin with. Which leads me to my next thing to remember…

3. Practice Generosity

In the world of hoarding toilet paper, generosity may be a hard concept to grasp. Do what you can to be generous and offer grace to those around you. Pick up a few bags of food for your elderly family members or neighbors. Ring the bell and dash. Help coordinate lunches for kids who get perhaps their only meal of the day at schools that are now closed and organize drive-up-grab-and-go lunches for these families. Heck, smile at someone in the grocery store-I don’t care. A smile may be all you can give. And for some, it’s enough. Get in touch with your manners. I’ve heard a lot more “please” and “thank you” over the past few weeks. Sentiment and feelings are not quarantined.

4. Remember The Things You Took For Granted, Use This Time To Build Your Character

Sporting events: canceled. Hair appointments: canceled. Special events: canceled. Church: canceled. Some of us are in desperate need of a pedicure, for crying out loud! As we pull back from our daily schedules of shuttling kids around to sports and activities and running to our various appointments, take time to inventory these and really look at what is essential and important. We all are guilty of filling up our lives with various commitments and hitting burn-out. Take this time to step back and sit down to dinner instead of grabbing drive-thru and shoving your faces in the car. For once, I see photos of families sitting together at dinner, watching movies, having church meet-up groups from home, women working out from home and fewer pointless, showy posts of perfectly-staged Instagram B.S. Honestly, I’m liking the depth. I really couldn’t care less about how pretty your latte looks but I am grateful that I live in a country where I can still purchase one of those! And, speaking of our country….

5. Don’t…I Repeat…DON’T Talk Politics With Loved Ones (For Now)

I know I write for a political blog. I know I am Conservative by nature. I’m glad I have an outlet with a bunch of smart, brilliant women because I have heard a heck of a lot of stupid over the past few weeks. But I made the mistake the other day in discussing politics with my mom who is a self-proclaimed Democrat. I still do not know why she thinks she’s a Democrat because she thinks some of the platforms they are currently running on are nutty but she dislikes our President enough to claim she’s not a Republican. It turned into a bit of an argument across the miles but within that argument, we realized our love for one another is, and should be, greater than any political divide. There is a lot of volatility in this time. And it’s easy to fall into the snares of heated political discourse with loved ones. Do yourselves a favor and refrain.

What are your 5 things? I think if we all remember our daily five, we will come out of this better. We are a strong nation and will overcome. Humanity wins…and it cannot be canceled.