A New Dictionary for Pandemic Times

Mental stress has taken a toll on all Americans in these fear driven, pandemic times. My soul aches for a simpler time when we walked to school as kids. Or we rode our bikes a mile or two to Junior high just to feel the crisp, cool, morning air blow across our faces.

The pandemic has changed many things. It has got me to thinking about the dictionary I’ve used to live my life. I’ll share a page or two to get you to thinking about the words you might use to define your life.

Freedom— It’s what you have when the government is not involved in your life.

Independence— When you leave home, have very little, and work to pay your own bills.

Frugal— Learning to scrape pennies and left over change together to buy a couple of Der Weirschnitzel super dogs for 35 cents each.

Change— The inevitable thing no one tells you about that you can always count on.

Fork in the Road— Where you decide to venture that others fear to tread.

Marriage— The beginning of a lifelong commitment with promises to your spouse, family, future children and to God that you will follow his ways and pass your enduring love on to the next generation.

First Home— A place where we lived that I designed on graph paper, hired a contractor, did the finish work with my spouse, planted the grass, lived with a princess, and had our first baby.

Money Management— Buying only what you need when you can afford to pay cash.

Work— Something you do to occupy your time and trade your passion and life for numbers in a bank account.

Travel— It’s what you do when you’re bored with the life you live and need fresh eyes to envision your future.

Going to Church— Taking a walk in the quiet woods communing with God’s nature, allowing his love to penetrate the pores of your skin, until your brain is refreshed and renewed with His spirit.

Prayer— Asking God what he wants you to do every day, not begging for favors.

Gold— In heaven, they call it pavement.

Retirement— Time to harvest the rewards of a lifetime of work by going to work on new projects that don’t pay you anything.

Happily Ever After— Waking up one cold January morning, looking out the window at freshly fallen snow, and realizing you have everything you ever wanted in life— and that it was all a gift from God.

Here’s how things looked outside my window today. Nice. Quiet. Life is short. Worry has no place. Find peace and contentment in your own life, your own time, your own words.

Michael Byrd
January 10, 2021