What We're Thankful For
Amidst the chaos and confusion being caused by the Coronavirus, we wanted to use this time to talk about what we are thankful for…
1. Our Health
While an obvious thing to be thankful for, during times like these, we are extra thankful that we consistently prioritize our health and feel confident in our body’s ability to fight off infection. Scary virus or not, we take our vitamins, we eat lots of fruit and veggies, we exercise, and we get our daily dose of fresh air and sunshine!
2. Our Finances
No, we are not part of the group that emptied the shelves of toilet paper but we did take the time to stock our fridge, freezer, and pantry with the essentials. Why did we do this? Because while the virus is scary, the panic and subsequent human behavior are even scarier. If we’ve learned anything from preparing during hurricane season, it is to preempt the panic at the grocery stores, gas stations, etc.
That being said, we know that not everyone has the finances to be able to purchase significant amounts of groceries, supplies, etc. so we are endlessly grateful that we can. For all those that are blessed to have the finances to buy extra groceries, we encourage you to remember those that can’t and to donate in whatever capacity possible because in scary times, running out of food should not be on people’s minds.
3. Each Other
With calls for social distancing and many businesses being forced to close, we are SO THANKFUL that we genuinely like spending time with each other. While we house hunt, we are currently living in a 2 bed/2 bath condo and while that is plenty of room for two people (and a dog), space can feel tight when you're stuck inside for the foreseeable future. While we are continuing to work from our home office, we are also taking this time to get things done that have been on our to-do list for months. We’re also taking this time to rest, watch movies, read, cook, organize, train Charlie (our dog), and just enjoy each other. Sans social distancing requirements, we are often both running 100mph in opposite directions so we’ve chosen to consider this extra time together, a blessing!
4. Living in Naples
Living in the sunshine state has undeniably bettered this forced social isolation. We are still able to go for bike rides, go to the beach (while staying 6 ft. away from everyone), go fishing, and more. We were talking over the weekend about what this situation would be like if we were still living in our condo in Downtown Chicago and it made us extra thankful that we live here.
5. Free Subscription Trials
Because we don’t watch much tv, we only have a HULU subscription so now that we have significantly more time on our hands, we’ve started free trials to everything we can find. Apple TV? Yes! Cinemax? Why not!? Netflix? Of course! We’ve also been screenshotting everyone’s movie, series, and documentary recommendations! At this point, we have enough recommendations that could keep us watching tv for years!
That being said, we started off on the wrong foot by watching Contagion… Why? Because we heard that it was currently one of the most-watched movies on Apple TV but we were scarred after realizing that it eerily resonated with what is being reported in the media versus a zombie-esque movie that we thought it was. If nothing else, it caused us to wipe down the surfaces in our condo just a bit more thoroughly.
So what are you thankful for?
We find that even in the most stressful times and even when it is perfectly valid to be scared, remembering even one thing that you are thankful for can cause you to pause and take a deep breath. So take that deep breath, sleep in tomorrow, and binge watch that shows that you keep hearing people rave about. Oh, and wash your hands!!