Realization in Life about Covid-19

Jackielyn M. Bamba

We are certainly living through an unprecedented period, and it is remarkable how many things I am better appreciating or learning as we do everything we can to treat all the patients who are seriously ill with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID19). A lot has changed in the last several weeks, and it likely won’t be going back to being completely normal soon. This time at home has taught us a lot, though. I think for many, we are learning life lessons and resetting our priorities.

We need to hang on to these essential life lessons even when we start moving forward and go back to whatever new normal awaits us. Think about it — much of how we lived our lives before this point included a ton of social media, a bunch of keeping up with the Jones’, and a sense of financial security and health invincibility because the stock market was doing well.

Let us prioritize our relationships with our families and friends. This is a must, and I don’t think we were doing this enough. I think this is an essential life lesson to take away. The people closest to you deserve your time and attention, and vice versa. Use this time to reforge these relationships so that you can carry them with you for the rest of ever. No more excuses for not having enough time to do so; we have enough technology at our fingertips to stay connected no matter what.

Let’s give importance to our health and wellness. I hope everyone who once took their health and their access to medications for granted now realizes how lucky we’ve been thus far. I also hope everyone says, “OK, time to make health a priority.”Until you are taking care of yourself, you will not be able to fight not just COVID but any illness.

Decreasing pollution benefits us and the planet. I think this is one of the most important lessons ever. The planet doesn’t need us; we need it. Let’s start respecting the ground we live on and take care of it because by doing so, we will extend our ability to live in it, and we’ll make life better for ourselves.

We really don’t need to spend as much as we usually do. How much of our spending is actually necessary? I’ve saved a lot of money in the last month alone, mainly by not eating out and not buying things I don’t need. Funny thing, I don’t feel like I’m missing out.

We need to have an emergency fund. You should have about 3-6 months’ worth of living expenses put away, and it should be untouched except for in an emergency. This might seem like a lot. However, the purpose is to give you a cushion if you lose your job or need some time to transition between jobs. Going forward, this is also your pandemic relief fund. Basically, it’s so that you don’t go into debt or have to sell you prized possessions to get by.These are some lessons we need to adapt in our lives.

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The author is Teacher I at San Roque Arbol ES, Lubao West District