RAISE YOUR HAND IF FACEBOOK MEMORIES HAVE BEEN REMINDING YOU OF TIMES LONG AGO THAT YOU WERE OUT, FROLICKING ABOUT, JUST LIVING YOUR LIFE FREELY WITHOUT A TOILET PAPER WORRY IN THE WORLD? YEAH, ME TOO. IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY FOR FAMILY OUTINGS, IT’S FAMILY INNINGS!
WHAT HAS QUARANTINE TAUGHT YOU OVER THE LAST 30+ DAYS? I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I’M REMINDED OF AND WHAT MOST OF US HERE AT RED DOOR ARE REMINDED OF.
“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we choose to react to it. Our attitude is everything.” Every athlete in the great State of Oklahoma saw that quote by Charles Swindoll running out of a locker room but probably didn’t think another thing of it as an adult. Maybe not until now. Thanks to teachers, coaches, friends, pastors, and all-around cheerleaders on social media, giving us hope that we will all be together again soon. And big thanks to doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers risking their lives so that our families stay well and are returned to us in good health.
The bond we all share cannot be felt by touch right now but is no doubt eminently present. This experience has undoubtedly changed the way we see many blue-collar workers, truckers, grocery store workers, right down to the pizza delivery guy, we thank you! Doesn’t this make you wonder about the grand scheme of things? No, I’m not talking about conspiracy theories. Isn’t it strange how something powerful and unprecedented, can be flipped around and help us grow and bond? It’s almost like we get to choose the outcome of all of this, but with one catch. We have to do it together. This virus is the 10; we are the 90.
BEING THE 90:
I found myself scrolling through comments on a post made by somebody I didn’t know arguing with somebody else about something I didn’t care about. Then I realized that the very thing that stood between many relationships and created frustration is exactly what has brought us together—the internet. The one link we have to the outside world when we are forced to focus on what matters the most, as if it didn’t need to be in the first place: our health and families.
The disappointment of missed graduations, baby’s births, and other milestones in our lives that we have long shared with our families, friends, and communities is almost indescribable. Chelsea Crockett got it right when she said we could let hurt and disappointment make us bitter, or we can use those experiences as opportunities to have a change of heart, and grow. In other words, grow through what we go through. That’s what being the 90 is all about—making better choices. My grandmother lived to be 101 years young, worked hard every day of her life, and left an impressive legacy. But I know that if there was one thing she regretted, it was not spending more time with her family. We all get caught up earning a living and not living life from time to time. If only we prioritized “family time” the way we do our next meeting, or even better, our bills. If this virus and quarantine have taught us anything, it’s that we can lose everything we own in the blink of an eye, but the most important thing is to keep those you love close and healthy.
How do you plan to spend the days AFTER the quarantine? Will you forget that the most essential thing in this life is to spend the precious time you have with the ones you love and deepening the relationships you have with them? I surely hope not! It is now your choice to be the 90. Choose to grow through what you’ve gone through. I hope you choose to go bowling, play putt-putt with the grandkids, celebrate birthdays and holidays TOGETHER. And of course, if you decide to have REAL FUN, with REAL CONNECTION, bring the family to see us at Red Door Escape Room.
