Under normal circumstances I am a VERY social person. Every week I would do something fun with a girlfriend and spend time catching up.  Now? Not so much.

I realized last week that due to Covid, I have become a hermit. I do my talking through my fingers and that seems to be enough for me. I make a point to call my kids, mom and sisters…otherwise I don't think I would talk to them either.

Because….out of sight is out of mind – right?

Last week I spent some time with some ladies that I have not seen since April. We do not have a history of ‘friendship', we are in a small group together and are friendly. (Working towards being friends). So, I would not say that I know them very well. Now, for me, after 6 months, I found the conversation mentally exhausting. I am so unused to free flowing conversation. I had to leave early…all of that thinking just made me so tired. Does this happen to you too, or is it just me?

And then a few days later I talked to a friend on the phone. I have not seen her since August. We had a few minutes to catch up. But, all she really wanted to talk about was Covid, the election, the state of the US, and the churches being closed.  I listened and empathized – because I agree, it is a mess right now.

My oldest daughter and I then talked about how exhausting communication can be at times. And, especially now, with everything that is going on. And I realized that what we choose to talk about can either lift us up or bring us down – right? I thought….we are in a mental jail!

Do you feel like you are in prison?

We have painted our minds into a corner. We have let the circumstances around us drive our thoughts which then drive our actions which then drive our speech.  

Recently someone told me that watching the news stresses her out and makes her nervous…so, after she watches the morning news she listens to her favorite piano player play the rest of the day. What?! My comment? Turn off the darn news! Her answer? She wants to be informed. And I say to you….at the cost of what? Her mental health?

So, let me ask you? Are Covid, the election, or anything else for that matter, driving your thoughts? Are you so caught up in things you can NOT control that your life is on hold.  I don't mean the breathing part of your life…I mean the living part of your life. Are you really living?

Yes, you can blame everything on Covid, can't you? But, should you….

It's a case of the ‘I Can't's': 

You can't go out. You can't go to a baseball game or a football game or a concert. You can't go to a party. You can't go to school. You can't do anything.

And then when you can…it is a case of the ‘Should I really's?‘ 

Should I really go to school? How about the office? Should I really have lunch inside a restaurant? Should I really go shopping? Should I really travel and stay in a hotel?

Again, do you feel like you are in prison?

Plus, we just don't know sometimes, do we?

My husband is getting surgery in November. We are self quarantining 2 weeks prior. And then the question arose…do we need to require anyone who visits, after he is home, to quarantine before they come?  And if no…why not?

And then we think about, what about getting Covid in the hospital – then what?  And around and around and around we go. We feel like we are in prison. The Covid thought process prison.

We have a few choices don't we?

How about removing those glasses and putting on a pair of clean ones? Glasses that look at life as life. Life that is meant to be lived to the fullest. 

A full life does NOT mean an old life or a previous life or life before Covid. A full life is the life that you have right NOW! You will never have this day again…there are no do overs….so live it to the fullest extent that you can.

There is that old saying ‘You are what you eat.' How about ‘You are what you think.' Garbage in. Garbage out. Stress in. Stress out. Irritation in. Irritation out. Thoughts in. Thoughts out.

If you hate masks but have to wear one…there are 2 choices. Don't go out or get used to it (without complaining about it). You will be surprised how liberating the decision to not get caught up in the noise can be. 

I pray that you can get out of ‘thought process prison'. I pray that you will pay attention to the things that you can control (yes, you can vote). And leave the rest to God.

Need a few more things to think about?  How about checking out the following:

• What Matters To You?
• Putting On Your Covid-19 Glasses
• 10 Things You Were Tricked Into Believing