So I am going to start this post by first saying that I am terrified - terrified of the unknown. Most of the time, I try to ignore it, but every now and then it sneaks up on me and I hear those thoughts in the back of my head - thoughts I don't want to put in writing but are very real and scary, thoughts that lead me to consider the repercussions of living in a world in which this thing drags on for a very long time.
But then I realize - these are merely thoughts - they're not real. There is no world in which the scenarios I fear actually exist, so I shouldn't spend my time and energy on them. And if they do come to fruition, we will figure out a way to face our challenges and overcome this together, for we are resilient people.
We've only been quarantined for a few weeks, but it feels like years. Time is on standstill in this Covid-19 World. There is not much difference between one day and the next, one moment and the next. Some of it is relaxing and refreshing, and it's easy to get lost in the timelessness of it all, to forget that there ever was a world that existed outside of this, a world we are going back to some day. And even if ends up being different than the one we lived in before, it will still look much more like the old than the current.
Regardless, our time in this Covid-19 existence will expire, as time always does. We must choose how to spend it, because we know it won't last forever, and therefore, our choices do matter.
When this quarantine hit, I made a decision I was going to use the time that I was given, time that I haven't had since before my early twenties, to improve myself and become a better person. I was going to set goals and work to achieve them, just like with anything else I have done in my life. Now more than ever, it feels important to focus on the good and the positive that most any situation has the potential to create. I know that some have suffered tremendously at the hands of the virus and I certainly do not want to downplay that. My family and I are fortunate to have our health and that will always be our first and foremost priority. But with that health comes responsibility, and I take that very seriously.
"Regardless, our time in this Covid-19 existence will expire, as time always does. We must choose how to spend it, because we know it won't last forever, and therefore, our choices do matter.."
So here we go with a few things I have done to enrich my life, things that will not just help me in our current reality but in the one to come, post quarantine:
I started a blog and a podcast. I wrote several articles that I had to do an extensive amount of research for and learned a lot about things that will help me do my job better, once I get back to it. I've talked to several people for my podcast and gained a ton of valuable insight into the sport of swimming. Through this, I've found a way to get better at my profession and craft by building upon my knowledge base and forcing myself to think more deeply about the sport.
I've been able to use the blog to post daily dry-land workouts, start an Instagram, and keep the connection with the athletes who I no longer see every day. I've been involved in several Zoom meetings with some of our swimmers and we've worked to strengthen our connection as a team. We've been able to share in our experiences together and work to help each other out during these difficult times.
Aside from professionally, my personal life has been completely transformed by the research I did for the healthy eating article I wrote. I have changed my diet and cut-out ultra-processed foods almost entirely. My kids are eating healthy and we are crushing meals. I've lost 10 pounds and am nearing my collegiate competition weight for the first time in 10 years (I've lost about 30 pounds in six months, with 10 of them being since quarantine).
We are feeding our kids healthy snacks such as apples with peanut butter, green peppers with cucumbers and tomatoes, organic greek yogurt, etc. They are learning the value of taking care of their bodies and are developing healthy habits that will improve their quality of life as both children and adults.
I cook dinner every night and make a massive family breakfast two to three times per week. I've also learned how to start a blog and a podcast, and create and manage a real website, and I'm working to overcome the fear of failure and of looking stupid by trying something that I'm way over my head in, so there's that too.
While I'm sure many are utilizing Netflix during this time (I bought a few shares of its stock in anticipation of this), we went contrarian and got rid of the TV - no sports to watch anyway, so what's the use of it? We are now reading books to our kids at a time when they would normally watch TV (and we might be sitting on our phones), and they are constantly nagging us to read to them instead of asking us to watch TV. My four-and-a-half year old has already memorized a few of the easier books and "reads" them to his three-year-old brother and one-and-a-half-year old sister at least once a day.
And most importantly, in spite of all that I've done, I have had way more time to spend with my family. We are developing and strengthening connections that will enable us to function well in the future as a singular unit. We are building a foundation of love, trust, honesty, and respect that would not have existed at the level it's grown to had we not had this time together.
There's more, but I'll leave it at that for now, and end with a short list of goals that I am focused on achieving next:
I'd like to start a garden and take care of and manage it
I'd like to develop a "pre-school" curriculum for my pre-school-aged children
I'd like to learn one new skill that I have not yet learned (outside of blogging and podcasting)
I'd like to start a real business that will make real money
I'd love to hear what others are doing to self-improve and/or aiming to achieve during this time. Remember - stay positive, stay strong, and we will come out of this on the other side together with a deeper sense of knowledge and purpose, more capable of tackling whatever life throws our way.