When times are tough, I like to think ahead.
I like to think about what I can do to prepare for positive days in the future.
So as I continue to respect the science that supports staying at home for better long term health and economic recovery, I'm thinking about what I can do to better enjoy and contribute later on.
Backyard and Container Gardens
Growing food at home will positively support lots of good times at home and elsewhere later on. To prepare fresh vegetables and put a bouquet of beautiful flowers on the table is a welcome contribution whether you are at home or able to travel to the homes of friends and family members.
Health
To be healthier is to be better able to enjoy a lake swim, mountain hike, bike ride or exploration of remote forests and beaches. We can all work on healthy routines now that will serve us well in the days ahead whether we are exploring on our own or able to join with friends and family members during summer vacations.
Professional Expertise
There are countless ways to develop your professional expertise during this stay-at-home time. You may read, take part in professional classes, work on new ideas, update websites, and more. Whenever I commit time to developing my professional repertoire, I am always so happy once I get to integrate that new learning into my professional work--the results are always positive.
Rethinking Family and Friend Culture
This is a great time to delve into what truly supports your family culture and what takes away from it. For my family, healthy, delicious food brings us together. My family also enjoys outdoors adventures close to home and far away. We love movies, games, and spending time together. And we look forward to lots of great celebrations. Rethinking and perhaps revising family and friend culture can prove to strengthen those relationships and good times going forward.
Finances
Taking a deep look at your finances is a positive activity during these days. My parents were born during the Depression and that experience left us with that "save for a rainy day" mentality. In general, we've been a family that lives a bit below our means rather than above our means. That helps especially when financially uncertain times hit. Whether you've lived with that mentality or not, now is a good time to plan for your financial future with the following questions:
I like to think about what I can do to prepare for positive days in the future.
So as I continue to respect the science that supports staying at home for better long term health and economic recovery, I'm thinking about what I can do to better enjoy and contribute later on.
Backyard and Container Gardens
Growing food at home will positively support lots of good times at home and elsewhere later on. To prepare fresh vegetables and put a bouquet of beautiful flowers on the table is a welcome contribution whether you are at home or able to travel to the homes of friends and family members.
Health
To be healthier is to be better able to enjoy a lake swim, mountain hike, bike ride or exploration of remote forests and beaches. We can all work on healthy routines now that will serve us well in the days ahead whether we are exploring on our own or able to join with friends and family members during summer vacations.
Professional Expertise
There are countless ways to develop your professional expertise during this stay-at-home time. You may read, take part in professional classes, work on new ideas, update websites, and more. Whenever I commit time to developing my professional repertoire, I am always so happy once I get to integrate that new learning into my professional work--the results are always positive.
Rethinking Family and Friend Culture
This is a great time to delve into what truly supports your family culture and what takes away from it. For my family, healthy, delicious food brings us together. My family also enjoys outdoors adventures close to home and far away. We love movies, games, and spending time together. And we look forward to lots of great celebrations. Rethinking and perhaps revising family and friend culture can prove to strengthen those relationships and good times going forward.
Finances
Taking a deep look at your finances is a positive activity during these days. My parents were born during the Depression and that experience left us with that "save for a rainy day" mentality. In general, we've been a family that lives a bit below our means rather than above our means. That helps especially when financially uncertain times hit. Whether you've lived with that mentality or not, now is a good time to plan for your financial future with the following questions:
- Where can I cut expenses--what can I do to spend less?
- What is my ten-year financial plan? Where do I hope to be financially in ten years?
- How can I make more money? Is it time to prepare for an extra job, gain greater professional expertise and credentials, ask for a promotion, change jobs?
Once you answer those questions, then make a ten-year financial plan including what you'll do to save money and make more. The Internet offers all kinds of terrific resources to build your knowledge in this area. And, remember, there's typically no quick-fixes when it comes to financial security and welfare. In general a sturdy financial foundation comes from sacrifice, hard work, and intentional living.
Contribution
The work we do for others strengths our lives too. Make sure to make contribution part of your overall life equation. It may be that this is not a time when you can spare a few dollars, but you might be able to make a phone call or cook a meal for someone who will profit from that. It may be that contribution is part of your ten-year-plan. While you may not be able to give dollars to charity now, you may plan to give a portion of your salary or savings to charity in five or ten years. Further you may decide to take on an extra job to simply contribute that money to a local food bank. There are countless ways to contribute, and by making contribution a regular part of your living, you truly enrich your life.
These are the ways I'll look forward to Summer 2020--a season where I hope that I can still take my family on a mountain/lake vacation, celebrate a significant family event, bring my son back to college for his fall semester, and prepare for a great 2020-2021 school year with my colleagues. Let's see what happens in the days ahead.