In my younger days the thought of Friday always conjured ideas of having some time for fun, relaxation and spontaneous activity. In other words, I had two days of time when I could sleep late if I wanted to, not make the bed, wear my sweats and not wear any makeup. Today Friday is just like any other day, other than the fact that I’m very grateful for having been blessed with another week on this planet. Now the things I longed for as a young woman are an every day affair. I don’t have to make the bed, can sleep all day, not wear makeup and live in my sweats.

The idea of getting dressed up has grown rather foreign to me in the past year, however when I don real clothing, put my face on, comb my hair and look like a civilized person, it has to be a very special occasion – like grocery shopping with a side trip to a fast food joint for a greasy meal. Oh, the simple life – when expectations were few – when we were free to make images out of the clouds in the sky or kick off our shoes and walk through the dew filled grass. It was a lifetime of freedom – pre-COVID19. Or was it? Were we not slaves to our jobs, our extra curricular activities, running instead of walking, making sure we were on time, flitting from place to place with a carload of kids to their various activities.

Maybe God has given us this past year so that we can take stock of our lives. Where do we go from here? How do we get through each day? Will we make it through another one? What’s really important in life? What’s my relationship with my Creator, my spouse, my friends? Can we ever recapture the way things were? Do we want to? Obviously we all want to go back to normal, but were those normal days any better than what’s going on now?

We could look at this period of isolation as a dark period in our lives. We could dwell on the negatives. We could feel cheated, entitled, wanting more, sad, lonely, depressed and anxious – or we could look at the good things that have come out of this time. We’ve learned so much about technology. I for one feel like a bit of a techy since this all began. The classes I teach are online. The show I’ve been collaborating on for over a year is up and running – not in person, but as a radio show. I’ve discovered a whole new way of connecting with friends and family and when you’re hearing is failing, earbuds are a Godsend. My time with God has been more intimate. I can communicate with Him anytime.

I’ve also learned that time is short. It seems to go faster with every year I’m allowed to remain alive. We need to treasure every moment – cherish the people we know and love – imagine hugging them and knowing it will be amazing when we can again. Day by day is my life at the moment. If we all lived as though it was our last day on earth, I really wonder if it would be any different than what we’re experiencing right now.