Dear COVID-19: Thank You For…

Well, here we are.

Another week in the books.

Another week in the books where our new normal continues to be social distancing, putting ourselves in quarantine mode, and only venturing out for necessities like groceries where the visual is shelves usually empty of pasta, cereal, rice, and paper towels.

I know I’m not the only one who never would’ve guessed our 2020 would be going like this.

This week’s blog post is an open ‘thank you’ letter to the COVID-19 from the perspective of Mr. Sunshine and the positives that I’ve seen come out of this pandemic that we are experiencing.

And before, I begin that letter, I would liked to say the following:

My heart goes out to those who have passed away from this virus. My heart goes out to all of those who are currently suffering and fighting to get well. My heart goes out to everyone who has been directly and indirectly affected by this virus. My heart goes out to all people who are working the front lines to restore health and well-being to the world around us. My heart goes out to all of us who are working to navigate the unknown on the daily with feelings of anxiety and despair.

Dear COVID-19,

I don’t think anyone would’ve realized that you would be overtaking our lives so much in this year of 2020; however, you definitely proved us wrong.

You’ve managed to wreck havoc not only on our Country, but all over the world. You’ve managed to ignite feelings of panic, anxiety, and worry among millions of individuals as they try to navigate the unknown.

You’ve managed to bring words into our daily vocabulary, which include but are not limited to ‘quarantine,’ ‘social distancing,’ ‘pandemic,’ ‘epidemic,’ ‘stay at home,’ and ‘coronavirus’ just to name a few.

You’ve forced countries, states, and counties to lock down and force individuals to only go out of their houses for essential needs and work.

You’ve forced multiple companies to lay off workers and send them home with no employment because the future is so unknown.

You’ve created a wave of negativity that floods our media outlets on the daily with no end in sight.

But, despite all that I’ve listed above, there are several things that I must thank you for.

1. Thank you for forcing people out of their comfort zone, getting them to work together, and to stretch their minds to be creative. From the inventions that people have created to combat this disease, those sewing masks, breweries making hand sanitizer, fitness trainers making at home workouts to keep people active, restaurants becoming creative with takeout and delivery service, churches going virtual with daily services and events to keep community connected…there are just so many beautiful things that have come out of this and I for one am excited to see the creative inventions still to come.
2. Thank you for forcing me out of my comfort zone to work from home. While I’m not the biggest fan of it, I’m extremely grateful and blessed that I’m still able to do it during this trying time. Thank you for forcing use technology to connect with coworkers as we try to get through each day. Rest assured though, I will be doing a happy dance for days when the time comes to head back to the office.
3. Thank you for forcing me to pick up my phone and reach out to others in my life–some of who, I rarely even talk to on the daily. The events that you have unfolded before us has been an excellent reminder that life is precious and that we should always take every chance we get to tell someone we love them, appreciate them, or that we are just thinking about them. Simple things can the greatest joys. Thank you for helping me to realize even harder how much I love those around me in my life. And thank you for helping me to realize how special a hug from one of those individuals can truly be—it can wrap me in feelings of warmth and comfort when everything around seems cold and dreary. When this is all said and done, I honestly will be so excited to squeeze those in my life I appreciate you such heart and love.
4. Thank you for making people realize that money does not buy happiness and that generosity, compassion, and helping others are the true way in this world to be fulfilled. While I believe that my part in all of this at the moment is to help others feel positive and happy, I’m so grateful to see and hear so many stories of courage and helping others that pop up out of all the areas fighting against you.
5. Finally, I must thank you for getting me to come out of hibernation from the social media world. While my original plan was to only come back in August, I thought a lot about what was happening in the world. I prayed a lot and realized that coming back to social media was something that I needed to do. Living with the persona of Mr. Sunshine has always been extremely important to me and right now, it seems to be something that is needed for them ever. I’m a fighter for love, kindness, compassion, and positive vibes and my will and drive to do that now is more than ever.

Last night, I was watching the animated movie Wonder Park (which I would highly recommend if you haven’t seen it) and in the beginning of the movie, the below quote spoke to me very deeply because it is exactly what I personally am experiencing throughout this pandemic.

“I know this is scary…but you keep that little light inside of you shining bright.”

As we continue to live out the days ahead full of unknown, may we continue to fight with compassion, love, and kindness to keep COVID19 on its toes until it is a thing of the past.

May we continue to have faith during the toughest and darkest moments and always remember that we have family and friends to lean on.

May we continue to be human to each other. To love whole-heartedly and to look inside ourselves for ways that we can help those in need around us.

May we all keep the little light inside ourselves shining for the current world in need.

Sincerely with wishes for health and safety,
Mr. Sunshine

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!