I can barely believe that only a couple of weeks ago, life was normal—days when restaurants were filled with families, couples and friends chatting away. Parents went to work; I went to work, kids went to school. It’s hard for me to imagine all that now because we have inescapably entered a new kind of routine, a new norm. The lives of people worldwide have been changed dramatically. Everything put on pause. Relationships are strained. Life is no longer predictable. I’ve come to realized so many things, and I want to share some of them with you.

I sure have learned to be grateful. I shiver now to think of how much I’ve complained before COVID19 struck. Complain about everything, traffic, long fuel lines, slow service at McDonald’s, everything. When I look behind now, I realize how little those things actually are. I took so many things for granted – like the ability to jog outside, the ability to walk around and not be worried about invisible viruses, the freedom to go to the mall. The freedom of it all. I never appreciated those before.

I’ve discerned that no matter how old or independent you are, you should always remember family. The life of a twenty-something is so fast-paced. You have so many dreams, so many goals that you’re chasing that you do everything you can to get them. Think about it; you move out of the house to live near the office where you spend almost all your time. Later, we travel far and wide to breathe in new experiences and detox. In pursuit of ourselves, we forget our family. This virus has forced us to now worry about our ageing parents and grandparents. Yes, we are reminded of how much we love them. And expectedly, in the future, when we’re back into the world, we’ll show them, love, even more, and give them the time and care they deserve.

I’ve learned that to survive; we need each other’s help. Everyone has a role to play. It may be as simple as staying home, or as complicated as serving as a frontline. This pandemic has also brought me more closer to God. Helplessness does make you see how much you need Him. Now, facing this crisis, I feel my dependence on Him growing deeper. I’ve realized that everything I’ve achieved can fall apart in days. But His love and His promises are still there.

I know that we have a long road ahead of us. Life as we know it may be permanently changed forever. There will be sadness, fear and other stuff. But I hope that among these, love, faith and hope will shine more radiant. Let’s show this virus how strong our human heart is. We will fight, and we will win together. I believe that at the end of this pandemic, I will love these petty inconveniences more because when you think about it; they make life wonderfully normal, don’t they?