No one knows when life will return to normal, but now is the best time to prepare for the post-coronavirus world.
As week two in my official quarantine comes to an end, all I continue to hear from news media outlets is how dire our situation seems.
As an update to my last blog post "thanks, coronavirus" right now, the confirmed cases of Coronavirus stand at 592,975. The United States has now topped the charts on overall confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, and most of the country remains in strict lockdown.
A $2 Trillion stimulus bill has been signed to allow many businesses to remain afloat for at least a little while longer until there is light to be seen at the end of the tunnel.
While many things are still unknown, one thing that is certain in everyone's mind is that one day this pandemic will end.
But what will life look like when it does end?
I'm currently writing this blog in Eatonton, GA at my girlfriend's parents' house. They have graciously taken us in as my parents did last week which has been such a blessing. We have enjoyed eating family dinner, watching movies at night, playing basketball during lunch breaks, taking strolls around the neighborhood at sunset, and slowly putting a 2000-piece puzzle together.
While these things have been picture-perfect for the week, we can't help but to talk about the things we can't do anymore..eating at restaurants, going shopping, watching a movie at the theater, going to sporting events, traveling, going to church, etc.
While it's easy to get caught up in the pity party of life under quarantine, it's a better usage of our time to think about what life will be like when the quarantine lifts, because IT WILL LIFT.
Here are my predictions for post-coronavirus life:
1. The world economy (US in particular) will come back stronger than before, and stronger than we've ever seen it.
2. Travel will become much, much more expensive.
3. Many restaurants will close, but restaurants remaining open will have a waiting list for weeks.
4. Churches across the country will see record attendance.
5. The next season for every sport will be the most watched season on record.
6. Most of the 3 million Americans who filed for unemployment this month will return to work by the end of Q3 2020.
7. Many products made in China today will be sourced from other countries/made in the USA.
8. Millions of Americans will now choose to work remotely.
9. There will be a relatively significant baby boom.
Agree or disagree, these are my predictions.
While many of these predictions are favorable, I did by best to stay as objective as possible to accurately predict what will happen as a result of this pandemic.
I thought about adding context to each of them, but I'd rather leave it open for debate.
If you agree, let me know! If you disagree, I'd love to hear what you think will be different. If you have others to add, I'd love to hear those too. It will be a fun experiment at the end of this event to look back and see if I was accurate or not.
I must say, I found myself being quite negative as a result of watching the news over the past few days. One network will tell you the world is coming to an end and the other will tell you the opposite.
It's easy to get sucked into their trap, but I challenge you to turn the television off, think objectively, and to write some of your own predictions down based on your personal observations, while continuing to keep a positive mindset during this period.
While it's impossible to know for sure what the future will bring, I'm hopeful that it will allow us to come back together as one human race to enjoy and appreciate all of the things this life has to offer.
Be thankful for this time, as inconvenient as it seems, for at least bringing to our attention all of the things we take for granted!
abundantly,
hw
P.S. If you're looking for some encouragement, read Philippians 4. It's timeless.