Looking Back: A Year of Life with Rona
Okay, so the ball has dropped, Auld Lang Syne has been sung and 2020 is officially in our rearview mirror…now what? Well, even though 2020 may be over, its impact will forever be felt in 2021 and the years to come. How so much drama could be packed into twelve months is beyond me, it’s exhausting to even think about, let alone discuss. So, when I was contemplating what my first post of the New Year should be, I resolved that it would not be another somber read, Lord knows we’ve read plenty of gut-punching, heart-wrenching, and anxiety-provoking material all year long. ENOUGH OF THAT!!!
I wanted this post to be one that is full of GOOD reflection, specifically in the face of this global pandemic we are still battling. The Coronavirus aka “Rona” took so much from us last year, but whether we believe it or see it, she also gave us a lot as well.
For that reason, I’ve decided to NOT focus on the losses of 2020, but instead reflect on the gains. I’ve compiled a “positivity list”; a list of positive things that arose from Rona’s wrath. I pray this post will bring warmth to your heart, encouragement to your soul, and a smile to your face (but feel free to chuckle or let out a hearty laugh if you read or see something that tickles your soul).
VIDEO & MEDIA SENSATIONS
"Some Good News"
To kick off this Positivity Party, check out the first episode of the Youtube series, ‘Some Good News’. Actor John Krasinski (best known for his role as Jim Halpert on The Office) started this series as means of spreading hope during our Rona lockdown and quarantine. Each episode showcases heartwarming stories from across the country as men, women, and children discover and create ways to stay positive and busy, as well as spread joy.
TikTok Videos
Okay, call me old (behind my back and never to my face) or late, but I just jumped on the TikTok bandwagon when Rona showed up. Now for those of you who are unaware of what TikTok is, it’s an addictive short-form social media platform for video-sharing that will have you staying up till the wee hours of the night watching people’s ridiculous, impressive, and hilarious antics. Though TikTok existed before Rona, people’s free-time (and boredom) increased once they became stuck in the house, thus spawning an overflow of epic videos.
Below are some videos I thoroughly enjoyed watching – SPOILER ALERT: most of them involve dancing.
@cammymumu Baby girl, give me SOMETHING. #fyp #9monthspregnant #tiktokthebabyout #over30
♬ Something New (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) – Wiz Khalifa
@aubstmary You know the deal, we’re here for you! #PlayByPlay #MoodBoost #fyp #onmybreak #nurses #healthcareworkers #frontline
♬ Something New (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) – Wiz Khalifa
@cj12dutton Momma showing them that I’m the Real Millie #momsover30 #fyp #millyrock #foryoupage #dancemoms
♬ original sound – Mandietaketa
@kynleeedwards1 Who’s ready for a Christmas one ????? #foryou @kambry_edwards
♬ Toosie Slide – Drake
@twitchtok7 #tootsieslide @allisonholkerboss
♬ Toosie Slide – Drake
@waynebrady This family stays up while gettin down #coparenting #distancedance #quarantinelife #familygoals #waynebrady #indoorworkout @mailebrady @mandietaketa
♬ BDash x Twitch Im Good – BDash
@h.douglasss I like this trend
♬ Where Is The Love? – The Black Eyed Peas
@twojays2 Don’t rush – have a great day! #husbandandwifedance #loveandpositivity #perfectlove #norushchallenge #dontrushchallenge @tiktok #oldpeopledancing
♬ original sound – Shayan
@theacefamily Daddy and his girls 😂 @elle #fyp #foryoupage #acefamily
♬ BOP – DaBaby
@gisliz Family man = one big ab 🤣 #momsoftiktok #foryou #parati #foryourpage #tiktokismytherapy #miami
♬ original sound – Luigi
@zoemelle305 How to make your baby stop crying it’s easy and simple try that 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
♬ original sound – ZoeMelle Music
@alcruz00 Old people TikTok dancing …. again. Who remembers this jam?? #oldschool #rappersdelight #sugarhillgang #gameday #ninernatinon
♬ son original – Thibault & Nicole
@jasonderulo Sorry kids, Santa is a little tied up right now. This year I’ll be putting out the milk and cookies #gotmilk @gotmilk #GotMilkCookieChallenge #ad
♬ original sound – Jason Derulo
@aukoustics When Sinatra still slaps in 2070.. 🕺 wait for the DIP 👀 #flyme #flymetothemoon #oldpeople #dancing #waitforit #fyp #viral #xyzbca
♬ Fly Me to the Moon Remix – Aukoustics
@that_tiktok_medic Friends who TikTok part 9! #continentaldrift #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #4u #dance #ems #thinblueline #firstresponders
♬ tHe cOnTiNeNtAl dRiFt – Tik Toker
@bryantbrogden official a dad.
♬ original sound – B Mo the Prince
@gabbymorr My dad said he liked my video and wanted to do one 🥺🤚🏾@waynemorr
♬ #WIPEITDOWN – BMW KENNY
@jenningsbrower Once a superhero fan, always a superhero fan👊🏼🌊@12aquaman12
♬ #WIPEITDOWN – BMW KENNY
@abruffy yes, I’m fully aware my mom can throw it back better than me 🥵 #fyp #foryou #savage #distancedance
♬ Savage – Megan Thee Stallion
HIDDEN TALENTS
Now, I’ve already shown you some videos with people showing off their dancing and acting skills, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You see, Rona didn’t just help people tap into one set of skills, she helped folks unearth talents they didn’t even know they possessed. Talents such as: Writing, Drawing, Painting, Decorating, Jewelry-Making, Sewing, Knitting, Crocheting, Cooking, Baking, and Designing (t-shirts, graphics, novelty items, websites, etc.)
Of course, this is not an exhausted list, simply a starting point to get my argument across. As for myself, I built this entire website that my blog resides on from scratch. Prior to Rona, my professional and personal schedules didn’t allot extra time to learn the fundamentals of coding and website design, so trying to build a website on my own was definitely out of the question. But when my schedule started freeing up, and I started receiving pricey quotes from freelance website designers, I decided – “I was gonna learn today!”
I purchased a monthly subscription to a tech-support company, took copious notes as we screen shared and they instructed me on how to perform simple coding and use webpage plugins and…voila! I admit, my site doesn’t have all the elements I would like, but I think I did a pretty good job for an amateur.
Desires and Dreams
I don’t think there’s a person on this earth who has not desired to do something special. That desire could be something big or something small, but whatever the size, it has great meaning or importance to that person.
During Rona, desires and even dreams have been realized. Some people have written and published books, others have gone back to school (online school) to pursue their dream career, and some people have simply desired to rest from their hectic schedules – well, I think we all got that chance, whether we desired it or not. Point is, Rona placed a huge door of opportunity in front of all of us and started knocking, and many of us have opened the door and walked through it.
New/Start-up Businesses
For years, many of us have declared, “one day I’m going to start a business doing (fill in the blank)”. But for various reasons that day never arrived, so we reluctantly placed our business idea on the shelf, and there it has remained collecting dust until…Rona.
Being held hostage for months on end, sparked something in us and our minds began spinning with innovation. And for those who already possessed an idea for that “next big thing”, they quickly ran to the basement to grab it from the shelf and dust it off; for their day had finally arrived.
Business plans were written, and applications were submitted and now, a fresh generation of caterers, graphic designers, fashion designers, consultants, app developers, online delivery servers, and countless other entrepreneurs have emerged.
BETTER RELATIONSHIPS (MARRIAGE, CHILDREN, GOD)
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out quality time is absolutely necessary and beneficial to sustain a relationship. Whether it’s your spouse, best friend, children, or God; you have to make time to spend with them. However, so many of us have been consumed with busyness and are always on the go, go, go that we’ve neglected or overlooked these same people, which has caused quite some damage in our relationships with them.
Now, I know some of you will argue the opposite, but Rona has helped us restore our marriages, friendships, and other relationships. With numerous businesses around the world working remotely from home, late-night meetings, frequent business travel, and other time-demanding activities have slowed or come to a halt, reducing our busyness. Date nights, bedtime stories, and virtual conversations have resurfaced or been introduced, and we are finally getting back to the heart of our relationships, which like I said before is spending time with one another.
EMBRACING YOURSELF
Aside from spending quality time with others, Rona has also forced us to spend time with ourselves. Let’s be real, some of us don’t like us. We have nasty attitudes and dispositions that have hindered us for a long time and have made our relationships with others challenging to say the least. Our hustle and bustle have been nothing more than a tactic and distraction to avoid looking at ourselves in the mirror and admitting that we need to change.
Well, that tactic and distraction could no longer work when everything was shut down and we had nowhere to go except for inside the four walls of our quarantined homes. So, what happened? We finally got to meet ourselves, that’s what happened.
Many of us had no idea who we were or why we behaved in the manner we did so we dived deep into our souls and begin searching for our identities, not the facades we have been using for so long. And now in 2021, we can finally say, “I like me.” Furthermore, others can truthfully to say they like us too.
LIFE ORGANIZATION
If you read my earlier post, “Messes and Tests”, you know that I believe many of lives are filled with clutter and baggage that we simply need to discard and/or organize. Well, Rona has helped us to do that. Some of us have begun to recognize and prioritize nontangible things in our lives. And then others of us have finally begin sorting out the physical clutter in our homes, offices, or other spaces that are a hot mess express. The extra time we’ve been given (or forced to accept) has allowed us to free our minds, hearts, and physical spaces.
IMPROVED HEALTH
Now, let me say this (and no judging please), before Rona the only long-distance walking I did involved walking to and from my car, job, and the train station, well maybe walking around malls too. But that was really it. I would have never called myself a walker and would have given you a dangerous attitude and snarl if you dared try to make me walk beyond my comfort distance.
But when the government shut down the states and mandated companies to work remotely due to Rona’s arrival, things changed significantly for me and my health.
Within the first 3 weeks of working from home I knew I was gaining weight. My lower back started hurting whenever I would do simple house chores, which is always an indicator I’m packing on pounds. What I didn’t know was how much weight I gained so I purchased a digital scale from Amazon. When I stepped on it, my knees bout near buckled. The display read, to be continued…just kidding, but it did reveal I gained 11 pounds. 11 POUNDS!!! That may not sound like a lot of weight, but trust me, it’s a considerable amount of weight gain during a short span of time like 21 days.
After recovering from shock, I began strategizing how to shed my extra unwanted pounds and how I was going to keep new pounds off. The CDC didn’t seem to have Rona’s ETD (Estimated Time of Departure), so I knew if I didn’t craft some kind of fitness plan, I was gonna become as wide as all outdoors.
A few of my friends had success with the keto diet and seem to be keeping off their weight. But since I was no longer doing even a minimal amount of walking, I had to incorporate exercise as well, so I scoured YouTube until I found a handful of work-out videos I believed I could follow.
Within the first week of following my personalized keto plan and working out, I lost 7 pounds and continued to lose. Now 10 months after living with Rona, I’ve lost the 11 pounds I gained and an extra 19 pounds. I have more energy, I’m fitter, and I look amazing if I do say so myself, “Self, you look amazing!”
And I’m not the only one who’s turned over a healthy leaf. Before the gyms reopened, people across the country were buying out exercise equipment and turning their living rooms, dining rooms, guest bedrooms, and basements into makeshift gyms, including me. Good health and exercise are no longer overrated as many of us have developed routines to keep us healthy and in shape.
DEBT FORGIVENESS & DEFERRED PAYMENTS
You get an extension! And you get an extension! And you get an extension! Everyone gets an extension!
I don’t know of or remember any other time since I’ve been living, where so many debts were either forgiven or extended. Unemployment compensation in some states, well at least in MA, has increased so much that one person told me, he’s receiving more money while being unemployed than he did when he was working. What?!
Now, that may not be everyone’s story, but while Rona continues to hang out in our lives, efforts have been made and continue to be made to lighten people’s bill load and remove their pressure to pay bills on time, including rent and mortgages. I mean I’ve actually been harassed by the Dept. of Education to discuss forgiving my student loans. What government agency does that? They’re usually harassing you to take your money, not give you money, and definitely not to wipe your debt clean.
BABIES
Another life-altering and wonderful thing Rona has helped with is the delivery of new babies. Bellies and babies are popping up everywhere, it’s almost an invasion. But I guess it should be expected when couples of the opposite sex are ordered to stay in their homes with not much to do but work, cook, eat, and spend lots and lots of time…well you know where I’m going.
So, congratulations to all the new moms and dads and mom-and-dads-to-be. I pray your little ones get to grow up in a world free of masks, social distancing, temperature checks, and nose swabs.
May we ALL get to live in that same world soon.
Until we speak again…Smooches 
HAPPY NEW BEGINNINGS!!!
So…what Has Rona Done for You? Leave your answer in the comment box below.
I love this one!!
Thanks.
You didn’t answer the question. What has Rona done for?