Can it be possible to look at an extremely negative situation with a positive viewpoint? For instance, how can the 2020 Coronavirus be described as a positive experience that changed lives? On the surface, the Coronavirus is a deadly, global pandemic that is highly contagious and ruined the world’s economies. But, if we look at the Coronavirus from a positive perspective, we can see some amazing positive circumstances that changed our lives.
We have seen stories of communities coming together to help their neighbors. Local food banks and grocery/pharmacy stores have been a shining light for us all.
Healthcare workers have been our superheroes, sacrificing their own lives to care for COVID-19 patients. Manufacturers have been working to keep our country afloat while the majority of us stayed home. Law enforcement and public safety workers kept us safe.
Many people risked their lives for the safety of the masses. There have been stories of heartbreak and chaos. Fear and anxiety came along with the Coronavirus like a bad cold that never would end.
In spite of all of the angst and misery that came with the Coronavirus, there are amazing things that changed our society for the better. Here are 15 positive ways the Coronavirus has changed our lives.
1) The Reinvigoration and Reinvention of Family Time
Let’s face it, there were the pre-Coronavirus life and the new life that changed our way of living. The pre-Coronavirus life was hustle and bustle. It might have looked something like this:
- Wake-up
- Get kids off to school
- Go to work
- Work all-day
- Go home
- Help with kids schoolwork
- Take kids to activities and/or play with kids
- Get kids to bed
- Go to bed
- Do it all over again the next day
The Coronavirus slowed everything down and forced us to do something we haven’t done for a long time. We made a restart. Just like electronics occasionally need a restart, we did too. This restart came in the form of actually spending quality time with our family.
Parents became home-school teachers, recess monitors, cafeteria workers, and activity directors. We spent much more time with our kids. It wasn’t about “hurry up and let’s go somewhere” anymore. It was now about getting to know our children better and finding different and unique ways to engage together.
For my wife and I, we found ourselves playing more board games with our kids. Puzzles became the new craze. For the first time ever, we actually did “family bike rides” with our kids and had so much fun.
We built family forts out of blankets and pillows. And, I had “boys’ nights” with the kids when the three of us would all sleep together in the family room.
Things became simpler and less hectic for us all. Family time became the only time, because truthfully we only had each other. And because it was only us, the bond of family took on a whole new importance and meaning during the Coronavirus.
2) Reconnecting More Than Ever with Distant Family and Friends
I think the Coronavirus made us think about family and friends who were distant. Now “distant” can have several different meanings. In this case, distance means “measurement in length” and it also means “length of time”.
Distance Measured in Length
The Coronavirus changed our lives in the form of communication. Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime were all words that rolled off our tongues quite easily and frequently.
Technology created opportunities for us all to communicate. Never before has technology been so important to our society than during the Coronavirus.
Because of technology, we could talk to friends, family, and co-workers through our computers and phones with relative ease. Distance was not a barrier anymore. There was a greater feeling to want to connect with people that were not only close in proximity, but also to those that lived far away.
But it wasn’t just about technology. The Coronavirus changed our lives by actually making us appreciate our relationships.
It caused us to check-in on loved ones, say “I love you” to friends and family, no matter how far away they lived. A deeper feeling of love came over us, because we were genuinely concerned about their well-being. The Coronavirus was scary (and still is). But it brought us closer together in our relationships, which changed our lives.
Distance Measured in Time
This pandemic forced us to appreciate time. It caused us to be afraid of losing time and created a reckoning about time. Through this realization, the amount of time we had was unknown.
For me, I found myself reaching out to friends and family who I haven’t spoken to in years. Those people told me that they were doing the same thing. Why were we doing this? Was this the last chance we would talk to them?
I don’t believe (at least for me) it was that intense that I would never talk to people again. However, I think subconsciously, the Coronavirus made us pause and reflect. And in pausing and reflecting, it made us think about those we still loved, but hadn’t taken the time to really reach out to.
In the past, we used “time” as an excuse for not talking to people. Now, it was “time” that made us actually think to reconnect with our loved ones.
3) How “Time” Went from Under-Appreciated to Extremely Appreciated
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, the wizard Gandolf The Gray says a timeless line to the hobbit Frodo.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
Gandolf the Gray
The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring
This famous quote echoes so much spirituality about time. We are not promised a set amount of time. As humans, we have to decide how to use the time that is given to us.
If we knew exactly how much time we had to live, we would plan out our life’s journey completely different than how we are currently living. The Coronavirus disrupted and changed all of our lives. Through this disruption, we learned very quickly how to spend our time.
So what did most of us do with our time? The Coronavirus slowed time down for us. It forced us to make time for ourselves, make time for our family and friends, and make time for our community. Time was valued again.
We actually stopped, paused, and reflected on what is important to us. For some it was their business or job, for others it was their own well-being. But for most of us, family and friends received most of our time.
Sure, there were mostly negative situations and horrible things that have happened to our society from this pandemic. People lost their loved ones, their jobs, their comfortable way of life, etc. Yet, for the majority of us, we can honestly say that the Coronavirus changed our mindset and made us value our friends, our family, and our lives in a whole new light.
4) Working from Home is No Longer Taboo, It is Necessary
I’m fairly certain that the majority of people who work from home are not willing to go back to an office again. Why would we? For some jobs and for some people, they can’t work from home. They need to be in an office with other people. For others, they see going back to an office as an unnecessary inconvenience.
I can personally attest to this situation. I love working from home. Prior to the Coronavirus, I worked one or two days a week from home which changed the lives of my family. But my job was one in which I’d meet with people outside of the office, so technically being in the office was just a “landing spot” to do administrative duties.
Those days at home were the most productive days of the week. There were fewer interruptions, more comfort, more flexibility, and it offered me a higher degree of autonomy.
I believe people who were not traditionally working from home and had to, felt the same as I experienced. Freedom, flexibility, and empowerment are powerful emotions for people. Working from home gave us that power to produce in our jobs.
Moving forward, our society should really look hard at accommodating their employees if they want to work from home. The organizations that go strictly back to the old way of working in an office will eventually become dinosaurs.
The benefits of working from home far outweigh the benefits of working in an office (for most people). Working from home is no longer taboo. Thanks to the Coronavirus, it will be a major societal change in our workforce.
5) No Need to Make That Lunch Trip to Subway Each Week
We weren’t in the office, restaurants were pretty much shut down for dining inside, so we didn’t need to pay for lunches. If we look at this on a personal level, then we should have noticed the savings on not buying lunches at work.
Even if we brought lunches to work four out of five days, that one day out for lunch will cost anywhere between $10-30 per person (depending on where you live and where you dine). Using this example on the low end, that’s a personal savings of $40-50 a month.
If we look at this in a different context, not many people were contributing to the food and beverage industry during this time. That industry definitely took a hit, and we saw the horrible effects it had on our economy and their personal lives.
But this article is about pointing out the positives. Saving money during a pandemic is a bright spot. The reality is that we didn’t need to buy lunch at work, because we were working from home. Making a ham or tuna sandwich at home is cheaper than buying a meal at Subway.
6) The Best Gas Prices Seen in Years
With nobody driving to work, school, or activities, gas prices plummeted. Wasn’t it awesome to see gas prices below $2.00 per gallon (depending on where you live)? Driving by gas stations and seeing virtually no lines or no vehicles was a little spooky.
According to Khristopher Brooks of CBS News, gas prices haven’t been this low since 2016. His article on gas prices during the Coronavirus can be found here at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gas-prices-1-85-gallon-drivers-roads-coronavirus-pandemic/.
Now, as the country is starting to open up again and businesses are starting to return to work, we are seeing gas prices start to go back up. However, they are still low. We may have just experienced the lowest they may be for quite some time.
7) Seriously, When was the Last Time You Drove Your Car This Week?
Don’t forget to start your vehicle and drive it around the block once or twice. If not, then your vehicle’s battery just might die. We are actually reminding ourselves that we have a vehicle and that we have to occasionally start it. That’s hilarious!
For those of us that had long commutes or were road warriors, not watching the miles rack up on the odometer was a very welcome sight.
I have 192k miles on my car. My daily commute was about 80 miles collectively to and from work. That does not include all the driving to clients and prospects I had to do. At least for me, I might be able to get an additional year or two out of my car with the mileage savings.
I’m sure we all have similar experiences or can appreciate not having to worry about vehicle mileage.
8) We Can Breath Easier and the Water Actually Looks Blue
With considerably less vehicles on the road, that meant less carbon emissions polluting the environment. Less people out meant less trash consumption. For the first time, in…forever…we actually saw signs our planet was going back to its natural, healthy state.
Wasn’t it wonderful to see the water clear again in Venice, Italy? To actually see marine life and clear blue water was astounding. There were actually dolphins swimming in the water.
CBS News’ Chris Livesay reported on the environmental health improvement of Venice. His story on how nature is flourishing in Venice can be found here at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/venice-tourists-coronavirus-nature-flourishing/
How about Los Angeles, CA where people can actually breathe easier and see the skyline? The smoggy haze finally has diminished. Another incredible story of air pollution plummeting was in India. New Dehli, the capital city, saw a 70% decline in nitrogen dioxide pollution.
It will be very interesting to see what environmentalists, governments, and corporations will do in the future. Now that the world has seen a decline in air pollution, policy changes may be coming.
Adele Peters of Fast Company wrote an interesting article on the reduction of air pollution during the Coronavirus. Included in her story is a map graphic, showing the air pollution around the world. The graphic actually distinguishes the difference between March 2019 vs. March 2020. The article is found here at https://www.fastcompany.com/90489321/these-8-maps-show-the-massive-drop-in-smog-caused-by-the-coronavirus.
Elon Musk must be smiling right now, knowing that he made major advancements with new consumers and legislators on electric vehicles. Due to the Coronavirus, it literally showed the world that reducing air pollution can happen. Expect a rise in Tesla sales over the next few years. The Coronavirus just may have changed our lives by making electric cars more accessible and affordable in the future.
9) It’s Nice to Have Extra Money Each Month
Being quarantined isn’t all that fun. We can’t go anywhere and we can’t do a whole lot of things until places start to reopen. And, even though restaurants and entertainment facilities are starting to reopen, the odds of having pre-Coronavirus attendance is very low. When we look at this as the bottle half-full, there is one thing we can smile about. We are saving money on our entertainment expenses.
For a family of four who would generally go out to a restaurant at least one or two times a week, the savings is significant. With the average cost being $50 (depending on where you live and where you go) per dining out, that’s roughly $200-300 saved per month.
Let’s add other entertainment costs per month for a family of four. If the same family goes to a movie theater once a month, that’s roughly $50 for tickets (depending time of the show) and another $25 for snacks. So, the total for going to the movies once a month is around $75.
Do not forget all the extra-curricular activities that were canceled. Some activities were shut down prior to the pandemic. Others were canceled midway through the pandemic. Some clubs and organizations may or may not have had reimbursements.
Just to make this simple, let’s just say each child’s activity per month cost $50 and they had only one activity. For two kids, that’s $100 to play a sport, be in a club, etc.
Because of the Coronavirus, a family of four could have saved on average $375-475 per month on entertainment expenses. Rounding this up, that’s about $400-500 of savings per month.
10) Being Frugal and Disciplined Wasn’t a Bad Thing
With people losing their jobs and the uncertainty of the job market, holding onto our money seemed to be the best option. Going to the grocery store didn’t feel safe (at least not without a mask). Retail “physical” shopping was non-existent, only online shopping made the most sense. Having to stay “bunkered in” gave us the need to conserve.
This pandemic put the world in unprecedented times. We saw the horror pictures of Italy and Spain, where the hospitals were overflowing with Coronavirus patients.
Images of bare streets and no traffic were extremely eerie. Nobody knew if we needed to stockpile food, water, and other supplies. Toilet paper became the most popular item to have and the most coveted item to own.
In my household, we tried to not be so wasteful with our food. We attempted to make our groceries last as long as possible and were mindful of our utilities. Even though our monthly grocery budget went up, it was far lower than our entertainment budget per month.
We delayed plans for vacation and other family activities. Yes, we became a lot more frugal with our money and how we would spend it. We tightened up our overall spending and became more disciplined with making our supplies last longer.
11) Minimalism Kind of Became Normal and Wasn’t Really a Radical Life Change
How much do we really need in this world? The Coronavirus pandemic really put that question into reality. Most people would say they need their family/friends, a roof over their head, food and water, clothes on their back, somewhere to sleep, and a bathroom.
I’m not suggesting that the Coronavirus was like a hurricane or tornado, thrusting us into pure survivor mode. But, I will say that it made us think and act in a way of only needing the bare essentials in our lives.
Joshua Becker is a minimalist and defines minimalism in a succinct way. His information on minimalism can be found at https://www.becomingminimalist.com/what-is-minimalism/.
The minimalist lifestyle is about living with only the things you need. Minimalists are free from the desire to buy and accumulate more. Instead, they find happiness in relationships and experiences.
Joshua Becker | Becoming Minimalist
I think what Joshua is saying equates well to our general mentality during the Coronavirus. As a society, we weren’t intentionally accumulating things that were not important. In general, we secured what we needed (groceries mostly) and we held fast to our relationships (family, friends, work).
In the end, all we really needed during the Coronavirus pandemic were the essentials. Truthfully, we were just fine with the simplest of things.
12) Being Flexible and Adaptable Became the New Way of Living
The Coronavirus taught us that those who became flexible and adaptable were more comfortable.
School districts that were organized, communicative, and adaptable made the transition to online learning more efficiently than other districts. Companies prepared for virtual work transitioned smoother than other organizations.
Employers who accepted their employees as parents first, employees second, built better mutual trust and understanding. Those who embraced flexibility seemed to have a stronger mindset for handling our new pandemic life.
All of us had to learn to do things differently, and we all know that change can be hard. Yet, this wasn’t a gradual change. This was a change of instant necessity.
In regards to schooling, parents saw it firsthand. The teachers and administrators who were not tech-savvy were not as prepared and organized with their lesson plans for parents. Employees who were not tech-savvy struggled with virtual work. People who didn’t have the technological means struggled as our healthcare visits now became virtual.
they will have to become tech-savvy now to survive the new norm.
For those who didn’t accept technology prior to the Coronavirus, there’s a strong bet they will be investing in technology now. The pandemic solidified that virtual and online lifestyles are only going to grow.
The Coronavirus amplified our need for proficiency in technology. Also, it challenged our adaptability to overall lifestyle changes. This pandemic pushed our mentality on how we embrace change. The reality is that the Coronavirus forced us to be flexible, whether we accepted it or not.
13) With Our Faith Being Challenged, Spirituality Was on the Rise
Some might have seen the Coronavirus as a sign from God, suggesting that our lives needed to be changed. Perhaps the world was coming to an end. Maybe God wanted to get our attention and bring us back to Him. One thing is for sure, our faith was surely challenged.
What has made this enemy so difficult is that we can’t see it. There is something else that we can’t physically see either– God and His love for us. However, we can feel when His love is around us or inside us.
When was the last time the world was united in faith? Didn’t we witness our communities coming together for all of humanity? Not since the tragic events of 9/11 have we seen so much universal love. For the first time in a long time, we prayed as one world. If we all tuned into the global spirituality that took place, we could feel its power.
14) Through Introspection, We Actually Were Able to Listen to Ourselves
There is no doubt that the Coronavirus increased our depression and anxiety worldwide. How can we not worry about our loved ones, ourselves, and what tomorrow was going to bring? The unknown can be a scary thing, and a pandemic can be a terrifying journey. The Coronavirus actually made us listen to ourselves.
For me personally, the Coronavirus made me tune into my mental health. It made me really think about what was important in my life. I re-evaluated my life and started making significant, personal changes.
I left a job with an unhealthy work environment, became fully engaged with my family for five months, lost 40 lbs, started this blog, and then found a new job. Most importantly, I found a stronger connection to God and a deeper purpose to life. I’m not so sure all of those things would have happened without clear introspection.
15) We Finally Started That House Project We’ve Been Putting Off
With more time at home, overdue projects got attention. Whether it was finally decluttering the basement or putting in new landscaping, we put a lot of collective energy into home improvement projects.
According to Business Insider, Lowe’s saw an 11.2% gain in sales in the first quarter (or $19.68 billion in revenue). People were investing in their home projects. To read the full story by Aine Cain, visit https://www.businessinsider.com/home-improvement-sales-lowes-home-depot-earnings-coronavirus-2020-5.
Since we couldn’t go anywhere and we were stuck at home, why not invest in our homes? It made absolute sense. Plus, it gave us something to do besides doing puzzles, watching TV, or always being on the phone or computer.
The Coronavirus actually gave us the motivation to get things done at home. And of course, getting things done at home has a positive impact on marriage.
Conclusion
The Coronavirus didn’t care what race, gender, or socio-economic background we came from. This virus only cared about spreading and infecting as many people as possible.
Just in the United States alone, over 100,000 people have died. That is more people who have perished during the Vietnam War. Over 400,000 people have died worldwide.
Although we have all seen the tragic results and the horrible pain it has caused so many people worldwide, there were some positive benefits.
These 15 examples mentioned above illustrate, that even in the worst of times, we can still find the positives in life. Even during these dark times, it’s important to see how the Coronavirus positively changed our lives.
To continue the conversation or share stories, please contact me here. Be sure to sign up for The Faithful Journey’s e-newsletter.