In this podcast episode, we catch up on where we are as we approach the 1st anniversary of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic in our neck of the woods (State of PA).
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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to the Sally in the Zen podcast. I’m your host, Sally. I’m a Zen Buddhist caregiver taking care of my elderly folks and always in pursuit to find Zen moments in everyday living. If you’re new to the podcast, welcome. If you’re not new and you’re returning, welcome back.
Hope everyone is doing well, being safe and sound. Right now I’m looking on my window and there’s snow on the ground, and it’s raining, so it’s a rainy Sunday as I’m taping this episode for Wednesday. And it’s also the last day of February. I really can’t believe March is literally tomorrow in less than a few hours, right. I don’t know about you but on rainy Sundays, all I want to do is just veg like broccoli and definitely not think about tomorrow because it’s Monday. But alas we must move forward.
Today’s episode is actually going to be an introspection, and also I’m going to blame it on the rainy weather for putting me in that mood to want to reflect on just how far we’ve come, mentally and physically and spiritually through COVID. It’s also going to be looking back at when the pandemic started to current day, and tracing along the progress – the actual progress – that we made during this chaotic time.
So if you’re interested, let’s get started.
Now, it was towards the middle to the end of March last year when the State of PA was put on mandatory stay-at-home because of the outbreak of the pandemic, of COVID-19. So we are basically at the cusp of the first year anniversary of that event happening.
And when it was happening last year in 2020, when all of it was playing down, I had made a goal, a target if you will, of coming out of the pandemic better stronger, mentally fit, mentally sound, me and my family, and better overall than when we first entered the pandemic tunnel.
I don’t remember specifically which episode it was where I actually talked about making this target but the reason why I made a target in the first place was because, personally speaking, because I take care of Mom and Dad – who are older folks, right – if we didn’t have a target, if I personally didn’t have a goal to focus on during the uncertainty that was going on, I would not know how to keep myself sane. I wouldn’t know how not to fall apart. And I can’t fall apart because I have two people who depend on me to be altogether. And I needed to figure out something that got me focused.
I’m pretty execution-oriented and when I have structure in my life, a goal to focus on, then my mind just zeroes in, into that, and my energy goes towards that goal. That’s just how I am.
The first thing that was the most critical that I knew needed to happen was communication. Meaning, anything that I saw on the news or most anything I saw on a news, I communicated it to Mom and Dad. Now their English is okay but when it came to watching stuff on TV, Mom is all right but Pop needs translation. And with all the goings-on out in the world about COVID and all this, and we were stay-at-home, information was critical but at the same time, keeping the panic away. Making sure that Mom and Dad and I were on the same page on things, making sure that we were keeping in touch with each other about how we were feeling every single day. I was making sure that they were not stressed out and if they were afraid. And there was a few times that we had frank talks about them being afraid, and what I could do to help them and what they can do themselves to help themselves. But the whole point was communication.
I just remember specifically they were terrified of opening the front door. They thought that the COVID disease was out in the air, out in the open air. Mom and Dad were very adamant about going outside.
Now towards that end, fast forward to today current day 2021, we have already gotten the first shot. When I say “we” – it’s Mom and Dad. I make sure that they got their first shot. And it’s a two-part vaccine. After the first shot, you have to wait three weeks and then get the second shot and then you’re supposed to be fully inoculated. We’re waiting a couple more weeks for the second one, and then we’ll be fully vaccinated.
That was a long time coming. This definitely was a long time coming.
Now in all transparency, when they were first talking about vaccines coming out, I was in the camp of “wait and see.” I wasn’t immediately putting Mom and Dad in line. Vaccines typically have a trial period and a test period, and a whatever period of like 15,18, 20 years or even 25 years, before it actually comes out to the world. But this vaccine that we have out there for COVID was fast track so quickly, it was terrifying. Because how do you know if there’s no side effects? How do you know if it’s going to work? How do you know this? How do you know that?
That was a fear that I personally had for Mom and Dad. But at the end of the day, what really mattered was making sure Mom and Dad weres safe. Now I’m not saying this to my own horn. I can very easily do that, but I’m saying this with all transparency. That, overall, Mom and Dad are safe and sound, safe in body, safe in mind, safe mentally, safe physically…because of me.
I went over backwards just to make sure that these two precious people are safe in every which way that I can.
So on that front, coming out of the pandemic tunnel, I’m really, really happy with where they are. Despite the fact that Dad is still waiting for his full dentures and he has no teeth and he’s still eating mush. We’re waiting for a shot number two, when he’s fully vaccinated before we attempt to have a follow up with the dentist to get his dentures. He’s ready to chomp on something besides mush.
So that’s them. Now let’s talk about how I came through the tunnel.
So in between the beginning til now, I had lost my job towards the end of the year, before Thanksgiving. The general sentiment was how does anyone find a job in a pandemic? How can you find a job in this kind of environment? When people are being laid off left and right? When shops are closed because the impact of COVID? And let me just say, we are firm believers of having an emergency fund for events like this. It would have been a tougher period on us during my layoff. Because only recently now, February 2021, am I now gainfully employed.
So what’s the first thing as an employed person that I’m doing? Replenishing that emergency fund.
Now the biggest lesson that I learned from being laid off was that my priorities became re-prioritized. The things that I thought were important…weren’t. And now I have a better appreciation of what my real true priorities are. And first and foremost, if you haven’t guessed, are my folks. And then secondly, our health and well-being. And third, the job.
I came to realize that the job that I had before, I always considered a nine-to-five job. I didn’t see it as a career. There’s a big shift in perspective that happened from last year to this year, where I understand that fully now. That what I want, what I want to feel, what I want to have, what I want to see, what I want to know, are all things that are in my control. Are all things that I can proactively go to get myself. Everything is figureoutable. And I’m snatching the phrase from Marie Foleo. But it’s true. Everything is figureoutable.
If you have that mindset of saying, okay, I can figure this out. But overall, you are your own boss. You are the driver of your own life. It’s an active dynamic process that you have to put yourself through. It’s something that you want to do for yourself. And I don’t mean just about work. I mean, overall. Living situation, how you mentally feel about yourself.
What I did was change the mindset from empowering others to empowering myself. Taking back that power that I gave away. And what I mean by this is, who ultimately makes the decision to be happy? How do you make the decision to be happy? Do you rely on outside people, outside external forces to make you happy, to bring you happiness? Or do you find it within? Is it within yourself?
It’s hard. It’s a complete mindset change. But it’s all doable and that’s what happened with me and that’s how I progressed out of this tunnel.
So what is the best takeaway that happened as a result of going through COVID? It was shifting my mindset to forward-thinking but in the present moment. Which means planning for the future but executing today. But yes, that’s what I figured out. The now is the key to the future that I want to have for myself and my family.
So how did I find my job? Interesting you should ask that. Okay, so when I got laid off, I was in a funk and I’m being very transparent. I was in a nasty mood for a few weeks because I hated the world. I hated this. I hated that. But I snapped myself out of it because – twice meditating a day – you rebound from bad things quicker. I won’t say easier, but you rebound faster. Because you have a more broader perspective than the minute incident of, oh I lost a job. Because there’s bigger priorities out there.
And what I did was not listen, I tuned out to the normal, the common noise of oh, it’s going to be tough for you to find a job. Oh, we’re in a recession – you won’t be able to find a job that’s comparable to what you were being paid.
What I was looking for was – number one – the ability to work from home. Number two – making pay that was comparable to what I was making. And those were the two things that I was really focused on.
So here’s where it becomes interesting. It was during that time that I was listening to a podcast about manifesting. And it was talking about Universal signs but how does that translate into something tangible, like me finding a job?
Well, glad you asked.
So I made it into a game of, okay, let’s see, there’s no such thing as coincidences. These are all the Yniversal signs. Everything is all meant to be. I decided to put weight behind them because I have nothing to lose because I already lost my job.
What if there were no such thing as coincidences. And the Universe is always talking to us through signs? If we’re aware. If our eyes are open. What if that’s true? What if that really was happening – that the Universe was helping us but we were not helping ourselves because we were not paying attention to what they were saying to us?
So let’s put this into perspective with my job finding. I put the intention out there, that I wanted a job that was 100% remote working from home, and that I wanted to pay that was comparable. In manifesting, that’s what they call intentions. You have a focus. And then you put your heart and your energy behind it. What that means is to actively look for it under the directions of the Universal signs.
So I kept in touch with one of my former team members from the old company. And this one day I happen to talk to her. I said, she goes, how’s the job hunting going? Because I had to apply for jobs all over the place and not a nibble. And I said, you know what, I want to find a work from home position. And she came out and said, oh, try this one company because I heard that this one company is actively looking for specifically those people. And I’m like, okay.
So following the breadcrumbs, I went and Googled the company that she was referring me to. She has no association with this. And I went and found something and I applied for it. A few days later, that’s when the fish took the bait, and that’s when I started getting calls from their HR department. And that’s how I landed this job.
Is it a coincidence that literally a day or two when I actually said out loud – I want to find a job that allows me to work from home? I think that’s being in the flow – flow of the Universe.
Okay, so, we’ve reached the end of today’s podcast. Hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions or comments, you know the drill. Send me an email to Sally@sallyinthezen.com or you can DM me on Instagram – same handle. I hope you enjoyed today’s episode, and I thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for spending a few minutes with me on my pursuit to find Zen moments in everyday living. Stay safe, stay sane and I’ll talk to you again next time.