by Damon Carr, For New Pittsburgh Courier
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d live during a Pandemic. We’ve been advised to stay home to prevent the spread of the CoronaVirus. This country, to my surprise has chosen to preserve life over the production of income. Our economic system has been shut down. People are advised to only go outdoors for essential jobs and essential shopping. If we’re to leave our home, we’re to practice social distancing—keeping 6 feet away from other people
Who hasn’t fancied the idea of staying home, spending quality time with family, and being able to tackle some chores and projects that always seems to be put on the backburner? For the first time in life many of us have been forced to slow down, reflect, and take stock of what’s really important.
Circumstances that created this quarantine environment are insane! We’re in the midst of a health and financial crisis. Worldwide upwards of one million people have tested positive for the virus. Sadly, tens of thousands of people have died. What’s daunting and scary is the fact that we have not hit the apex. More people will be affected. More people will die.
Millions of people have lost their jobs. Several companies across various industries have been forced to lay off or furlough employees. Unemployment in the US is at an all time high. The longer we have to stay home to fight against this invisible enemy, the more people will lose their job. It’s been said that the CoronaVirus will bankrupt more people than it kills. We’re dealing with some serious stuff!
Nonetheless, I cannot seem to wrap my head around a constant that I’m seeing on Social Media. People talking about how bored they are. Bored?? I saw a meme that read, “people acting like that $1,200 stimulus check is whack—but when that deposit hits their bank, the balance in their account will be $1,203.08. Funny—but true. The average person has less than $250 saved.
We complain all day, every day about not enough time in a day to do all the things that need to be done. No time to clean. No time to exercise. No time to cook. No time to do yard work. No time to organize. No time to read. No time to declutter. No time to call family and friends. No time to spend quality time with the people within your household. Bored? You’ve scratched all these items from your list already?
Many of the same people who’re posting the “I’m bored comments” are tracking the stimulus check like you track an Uber ride. Newsflash! If the stimulus check is more than you currently have in your savings account, you’re broke. You got work to do.
People who are consistently bored must have a perfect life. Perfect body. Perfect health. Impeccable car and home. Great income. No debt. Huge savings. Children on a sure fire-path to success. If this is you, Kudos!! Reality is—those who have ascended to what’s perceived by others as a perfect life is working extra hard because the real grind is in maintaining that status.
The rest of us who are bored when we finally have some free time on our hands, are bored because we’re not actively pursuing a worthwhile goal. We’ve become content with the status quo. We can do better!
Take advantage of this downtime. Set goals and create an action plan to accomplish them. Scratch some things off of the to do list. The world as we know it will one day be as chaotic as we’re accustomed to.
Stay safe!
(Damon Carr, Money Coach is the owner of ACE Financial. Damon can be reached at 412-216-1013)
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