The Learning Curve---COVID 19: Part One

THE LEARNING CURVE---COVID 19: Part One

Around the Curve is the Unknown

Curves bring challenges because they differ so greatly from a straight line. Your life's highway may have been straight for months, or even years. 

Perhaps you even had life mapped out, but COVID-19 really threw you a curve.

Someone mentioned that high school seniors are disappointed in cancelled plans for senior prom and graduation. College students may graduate, but not walk down the aisle or toss their caps in the air to celebrate.

Consider the heavier burdens of heads of households who have lost their jobs. Even temporary loss will bring financial hardships.

And what about workers who lost childcare and have younger children home from school?

Not everyone lives near family willing to help out in hard times. But friends and neighbors can also be a blessing. Consider Proverbs 17:17 in The Message Bible: Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

My family is very supportive, but we do not live in the same town. I enjoy their phone calls and texts, and our personal visits are always fun. But I'm grateful for friends and neighbors near by in times of need.

For example, my car was out of commission for a few days. COVID-19 had just hit and I had not been to the store. While giving me a ride to church, my neighbor mentioned she had bought an extra pack of toilet paper to give away.

I said, "I didn't think about that. I'll see what I have and give you a call." That afternoon I walked over to her house and gratefully returned with a 9-roll pack of TP.

My first learning curve: Be Alert, Plan Further Ahead, and Be Willing to Share.

Teddy Bears are Fun Toys

My life has been brightened by phone calls. A Texas friend said her town created a Teddy Bear Hunt. Citizens were asked to set a bear in a window. "My window was too dark," she said, "so my bear sat on the porch flag pole."

Families kept proper social distancing as they drove down the streets, but I smiled thinking of young children hunting for bears.

Cell phone communications have also been boosters. A friend in San Diego sent photos of nearly empty freeways. Having been in California gridlock many times, I had to see it to believe it. But best of all, she was sharing her life with me.

My second learning curve: Stay connected . . . Reach Out Via a Phone Call, Text of Favorite Social Media. 

(Next Week: The Learning Curve---COVID-19: Part Two)