What I’ve Learned This Fall

As with all of us, the stressful circumstances of the past several months have caused me to be more reflective than usual. Today, I’d like to share with you some of my thoughts. I would also like to encourage you to share some of your reflections with me.

1. Having dinner with friends, even virtually, can be very satisfying.

2. Life is a series of calculated experiments about what kind of risks we are willing to take.

3. Some teams are actually doing better as virtual teams.

4. Some people are amazed at the extraordinary strength they have found during this time of forced hibernation.

5. Many people decide on their presidential vote based on one issue.

6. More people than I ever imagined are living with compromised immune systems. I never stopped to think about how many people are walking around with a chronic illness, and yet never complain.

7. Many of the elderly are spending most of their time alone in their rooms or houses. Somehow, they are coping alone. I wish I could do more to help them.

8. While we live in dangerous times, the civility we have generally shown one another is impressive and astounding.

9. I envy those who have dogs.

10. I have enjoyed reaching out to friends and relatives, many of whom I have not talked to or seen in years.

11. It’s harder to set rules for managing time when there is less demand on my time.

12. The forced isolation has helped many couples to learn to live better with each other than they ever have before.

13. Covid has forced us to live more like our ancient ancestors who all had to be organized around a common foe. For some generations it was famine. For others, dangerous animals. For many more generations it was the unseen danger of plague, much like we face today.

14. Those of us in colder climates, can learn much from our brethren in places like Sweden and Norway, about how to get through the coming months. Please check out the concept of Hygge.

15. Many people have never voted and do not plan to vote in this election. We can learn much by understanding why (They Did Not Vote in 2016. Why They Plan to Skip the Election Again).

16. I really miss face-to-face contact with friends.

17. Others do not miss face-to-face contact with others.

18. It’s not that hard to get over missing sports.

19. The enforced isolation has taught me to appreciate long novels.

20. There may be a lot on TV which I thought I was missing, but I have learned that I’m not missing much.

21. The concept of privilege is a hard one to grasp. This is partly because we live in such a bubble that we often do not see those who are not privileged.

22. I take a lot for granted.

23. Good health can make all the difference. If people are healthy, they can find a way to be happy. If they are not healthy, the health issues get in the way of happiness.

24. Advice from Ruth Bader Ginsberg: “In every good marriage it helps sometimes to be a little deaf. Sometimes when unkind words are spoken, it’s best to tune them out.”

25. People are suffering from compassion fatigue. It’s so important for people who are taking care of others to take care of themselves.

26. Speaking up about how you feel and what you want can be a good thing for most people.