The chaos of the coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly affected each one of us in some way or another. For most, in the world and our country, it has had a salty effect on lives one that you wish you could just spit out and be done with.

Maybe it was the temporary shutdown of your dream business, a loved one lost, one who died alone, a fearful child, a nurse lamenting going to work or the one who hurts because she needs to work to pay the bills but doesnt want to bring the virus home to her weak mother with cancerous lungs.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has had an effect probably on every human being that has the ability and maturity to reason and feel. Unfortunately, we cant spit out the salty taste of COVID-19. At least not now. We can pray, as has clearly been seen on many different social-media venues. And, as faithful people, we know it will make a difference. It will minimize the pain for many and bring hope and love. We know this and believe this as faith-filled people who are longing for brighter days.

We can unite and bring good to those in need, which has been done in this amazing community of Champaign-Urbana. There are silver linings to everything, and yes, chaos always brings opportunity. But there is just too much hurt in too many places to count the silver linings openly. However, I am challenging myself and those in my family to let this change us, not just for this spring of 2020, but forever.

What is it about this experience that we are living through that can permanently change us for the better? Is it more donations to Eastern Illinois Foodbank because we realized how many children go without food? Or do we vow to pray more because we noticed that this last week, we were on our knees more often, and it actually felt good? Do we say to ourselves, I had strength I didnt know existed in myself, then bottle up that strength for another day down the road when life turns upside down? Is it a newfound appreciation for your job, such that when you want to complain and forfeit the day sometime this summer, you instead dig deep and forge through because you know you are lucky to have one? Will it be you that you understand more deeply the value of human life, whether it be riddled with Alzheimers disease or just simply longevity, because you know more deeply that every life is precious?

Pick one way this has changed you for the good and let it change you forever. Today, write in your planner or enter into Google Calender a reminder for every week of the next year about what it is that tangibly made you change for the good, and live that change.

A few years down the road, or even longer, when you hear COVID-19, that salty taste might come to mind, and you will be able to spit it out. But maybe instead you might just humbly hang your head, because you know that somewhere deep down inside you, it changed you for the good, forever.

Tece Hendrickson is a freelance writer who lives in Champaign.

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