I woke up this morning with the intention of writing a blog.  Not this blog, but another one.  I have my little “blog thoughts” notebook with the things I am going to write about, however, as I sat down with my cup of coffee a thought hit me.  That thought is what you are about to read.  I haven’t had but maybe 10 minutes to really think on this, so I hope I can get my point across.

The days ahead

I may have the date incorrect, but I believe the “stay at home” quarantine in Michigan started around March 13th.  Since then, some restrictions were added, but that really isn’t important for my point.  So, the quarantine has lasted well over a month here.  For me, I have been home on doctor’s orders for just about 3 weeks.  Government officials all over the country are making plans to life many of the restrictions in stages, so life can get “back to normal.”

With that being said, there have been plenty of articles and news stories about what the “new normal” might be.  Personally, I have tried to steer away from social media articles, and TV news in general (primarily for my health), because it just raises my stress level.  One thing is for sure, things are going to be very different when this is all said and done.  The thought I had prior to writing this, is how I hope to look at the post-quarantine days ahead.

The Chrysalis

When my oldest son Dante’, was in kindergarten or first grade, I remember him coming home and talking about the chrysalis in his classroom.  Now, that’s a big word for a kid his age. I’ll be honest, I’d never really heard that word before.  I had always heard the word cocoon.  He explained that the caterpillar had made his chrysalis and the were waiting to see what happened next.

You’ve seen the “life cycle” of a butterfly, right?  If not, here is a great illustration:

About that thought I had this morning ….

Throughout this quarantine, I have already sensed some changes in my life.  Some of them, I have blogged about recently.  These things happened while being home in quarantine.  My thoughts shifted from what I used to think about to different ones.  What I thought was important, is not so important anymore.  I came to realize things that were “neglected” or “missing” prior to this, were things that needed my attention.

Prior to quarantine, I was living my life as the caterpillar.  As the caterpillar, I had certain attitudes about things, there was a lifestyle I was leading, etc.  With the quarantine, I have entered this chrysalis.  I am home with time to think about things.  I have taken notice of things that need to change and thought about how to implement them.  When I emerge from the chrysalis, I will be a changed person.  Life will be different, and hopefully, so will I.

Country singer Alan Jackson sang the song “Work in Progress”.  That’s what I am.  There is much work to be done.  Once I emerge from the “chrysalis”, it will be a daily challenge to continue to focus on the important things and not fall back into the “ways of the caterpillar,” but I sure am going to try.

I choose to look at this current situation as an opportunity that God has given me to examine who I was, where I was heading, and where I need to be.  It is time to emerge and spread my wings.