I am my mother’s kid. Like my mom, I love shopping. I particularly like shopping at Macy’s. The truth is I can wake up on a day off, throw on some clothes, and walk to Macy’s within five minutes. Being able to walk through the store, stop at the in-store Starbucks, and hunt for bargains, are some of the things I miss the most during this shut down.
The other evening, I went out for a walk. I walked to Biltmore Fashion Square. It was sad. All the stores were locked tight and no one was around. I was so caught up in the emptiness that I did not turn my head the other direction to notice the beautiful sunset. I missed the amazing colored sky that God was providing.
I recently read an article written by the great spiritual writer C.S. Lewis. Lewis was asked to reflect on what it meant to live in 1948 under the threat of the atomic bomb. He began the article by reflecting that we all know we are going to die, and the bomb just adds another way for it to happen. Then, he went on to say, “The first action to be made and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes, find us doing sensible and human things — praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts — not huddled together like frightened sheep thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”
So much of what Lewis said in 1948 applies to us today. I find it interesting that Lewis even added the phrase, “a microbe can do that.” (A microbe is bacteria which causes disease.) There is no doubt the coronavirus is serious. We need to follow guidelines on social distancing and staying home. We are able, however, to still enjoy the present. We can enjoy our families, the quiet, the sunsets, the PWC live streaming, and being alive here and now. We can stop focusing our minds on what is not and work to enjoy the blessing of each day.
Covid-19 has certainly flattened our lives as we have known them. In turn, we must work to flatten Covid-19. This virus does not need to dominate our thoughts. God needs to be what fills our thoughts. We are alive and breathing, capable of giving and loving and capable of receiving God’s love. Let us enjoy the moments God gives us. Each moment may not be ideal, but each moment may certainly be blessed.