You may think this is an odd question. Maybe it’s even out of bounds for most people to ask. But I want to have you take a minute to think about this. Think about the following question: What good can come from the Coronavirus?
I know the Coronavirus pandemic is sweeping the world. There are people dying because of this illness. There are people losing their jobs and going without pay. And there’s so much more going on because of the Coronavirus.
But… if we stop and think about it, we can find good in from what is going on in our world. Today, I want to take a look at 6 fantastic things that have come from the Coronavirus pandemic.
What Good Can Come From The Coronavirus?
1. People are connecting with their families:
Work has us so busy at times. We are running from our homes, to the office, and then to meetings. All to repeat it again in the morning.
The spread of the Coronavirus has made much of our rushing slow down. Instead, we’re quarantined at home or our states, like Michigan, have issued shelter-in-place or -stay-at-home orders. This is forcing countless numbers of people to stay at home with, GASP, their loved ones.
I’ve heard from many people that they’re connecting with their children in ways they’ve never done. They’ve opened up lines of communication with their spouse.
People are connecting with their families again. This is a good thing.
2. Business leaders are stepping up:
Business leaders are recognizing they owe their team members for all of the hard work they do. Sure, their team members already get a paycheck. But what happens if team members have to work through the Coronavirus pandemic or they’ve been laid off?
I’ve seen business leaders step up and go to bat for their team members.
Todd Folkert, the owner of Bold Furniture, created a fund to help his team members who may struggle during the government-mandated shutdown of the business. Aldi’s has stepped up and offered to increase the wages of their team members who are working through this. Why? Because they recognize their team members are working in a hazardous workplace. W. Kent Taylor, CEO of Texas Roadhouse, has agreed to give up his salary to help his team members weather the Coronavirus. The savings will go to pay front-line employees who are still doing their jobs.
Tough times call for difficult decisions to be made. It’s good to see business owners, CEOs, and organizations in general step up during times of crisis.
These business leaders are doing the right thing. They’re choosing to put their money where their mouth is.
3. People are getting outdoors:
You already know I’m a lover of the outdoors. Lok (my Vizsla) and I get out for an outdoor run multiple times a week. We’re still at it because the shelter-in-place order given by Michigan Governor Whitmer allows for people to leave their homes and walk around the neighborhood, go to state parks, and more.
In the last couple of days, I’ve seen more people out walking, running, and biking than ever before. People are taking advantage of being told to go outside and enjoy nature.
This is a very good thing. The Coronavirus is helping people to become more physically active and enjoy nature.
4. Churches (and businesses) are adjusting to an online world:
Churches have struggled to join the online world. They’ve seen the church as the building they’re in, as much as they like to claim otherwise. Now, they see the reality of the world today.
Church sermons can be live-streamed and consumed by more than the people who visit the four walls of their church. The internet opens up a whole new world for churches.
It’s great to see churches taking a bigger step into the online world. Not only are they live-streaming services, they’ve created resources for their people to use while they cannot attend church in a physical building.
The same can be said for physical businesses. Businesses are learning what they can do to cannot with team members, customers, and vendors when they cannot meet physically. This has included using services such as Zoom for conference calls and more.
5. People are taking care of projects that have been put on the backburner:
With our busy lives, we have large honey-do lists. From painting the garage to repairing the broken ceiling fan to changing out those burnt out light bulbs, honey-do lists are getting much shorter.
People now have the time to get things done around the house. They can get those projects done and make their houses a home.
It’s a great thing people are able to take better care of their homes during this crisis.
6. Essential employees are being recognized:
For far too long, essential employees have been disregarded. Their tasks may seem menial but they do work that keeps the world running.
Who are the essential employees in today’s world? We’re seeing restaurant workers, home repair businesses, emergency response personal, hospital workers, and more being labeled as essential employees.
It’s about time we see people who are doing what many consider to be grunt work get the recognition they deserve. Seeing people recognized positively for the impact they’re making is a good thing. Let’s not forget them when the world goes back to normalcy.
