Jeannie Croyle | What I learned from the pandemic – TribDem.com

I learned the same things during the pandemic that many of you readers have learned quiet time is valuable, simple hugging is underrated, we need our service industries, church services indoors, and being sick can take on new meaning.

Then I learned more:

I missed having my dog who died before COVID. She would have been underfoot, being tail-wagging-happy that we were always home, and I recalled how much her eyes melted my soul.

I missed the experience of the library and the attentive staff, and that dropping books into a shoot was impersonal and awful.

I missed the chit-chat of the local store employees and seeing whole faces. Indeed, we resembled designer bank robbers, and I found myself ordering glittery masks, animal masks and matching them to my clothing.

I missed Thanksgiving with my extended, noisy family and cooking for them, too.

I missed family-room time with friends and decided that snowflakes are often identical, regardless of what science says. I had hours in which to study this.

I found out vinyl records are joyful things, and listening to 60s folk music made me real with memories of hippies, peasant dresses, long-haired male singers, and clanging bracelets.

Pedaling on the recumbent bike (birthday gift, courtesy of sweet family) to Born to be Wild was the exciting highlight of Monday-Friday. The excitement of Saturday? Eating a dessert I had earned.

I found that we all changed and everything familiar seemed upside down except for one great man Jesus. He remained the same, always seeking my heart, always caring and kind, always a friend I could chat with and even hear back from.

It was humbling to know that through the ravages of sickness to the eventual healing, and then the great restlessness, Jesus remained steady. In the past, I read many Scriptures that spoke these truths, but living them gave me clearer insight.

It has been a long road back from COVID. I am one of those folks with some lingering side effects including breathlessness in the wee hours. It is that lonely time when I must sit upright and take deep inhalations and try not to be frightened.

I called on Jesus many a night and when I concentrated on his I will never leave you nor forsake you message I relaxed, and breathing was not as labored.

There have been several plus sides of COVID: people will work from home regularly (and not be tense due to bad driving weather), we have explored cooking together more, and many have done new charitable works. I found contentment in the sunset and in hearing different bird calls and taking on more faith-based volunteer work and being with people again is wonderful.

We have learned so much from this plague, and though we will be grateful when its totally eradicated, the lessons gained are priceless. I am less interested in political correctness, and far more inspired to please God.

I hope we can be sensitive to one another, not because of popular beliefs, but because we are in this brief time here, together.

Would we see this without COVID? Perhaps. But it certainly shed light in a few dim places for me and for some of you, too.

Happy next phase to all of us.

Jeannie Croyle is an area freelance writer and author who resides in Central City.

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Jeannie Croyle is an area freelance writer and author who resides in Central City.

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Jeannie Croyle | What I learned from the pandemic - TribDem.com