Important Life Lessons from a Covid-19 Victim: My Grandmother

Life Lessons from Covid-19

Week six stuck at home was by far the worst for me as Covid-19 finally struck home. My grandmother passed away because of this terrible virus. She was a wonderful lady and I simply refuse to let her be a statistic. So, I’d like to dedicate this article to her and share some of her attributes that I think could help us all during these tough times.

Love

For starters, she embraced love. She loved her family, friends, and life. She lived to spend time with those she loved and gave every part of her to us. Every time she saw us, she would always say “love ya, love ya, love ya.” I wish I had asked her why that was her big catchphrase. My guess is because one love just wasn’t enough for her heart. During times like these, remember that love is a powerful tool. Let’s not forget to be grateful for the love we give and receive.  In the words of The Beatles, “All you need is love.”

Toughness

Another key attribute of hers was toughness. My amazing grandma was the toughest four-foot-something person you’ve ever met. She broke more bones than Evel Knievel, battled and beat cancer four times, and dealt with a myriad of health conditions. Sadly, Covid-19 was too much for her. I want this to remind us all that we’re tougher than we think—mentally, physical, and emotionally. These are trying times, but we must remain strong.

Laughter

Laughter is the next life lesson she shared. This lady loved a good chuckle. I can still hear her laughter and will always remember it fondly. We have a choice these days (and always). We can choose to be upset at life and our current situation. Or, we can add a little levity to life regardless of how grim things may look. Much of life is about attitude and outlook. She instilled these traits into me and I’ll always remember (as I hope you all do) that when times get tough just smile and laugh. We could all use a little laughter these days, so go ahead do it. If for no one else, do it for my grandmother.

Truth

She always gave you the hard truth—telling it like it was whether you were ready for it or not. She realized we’re resilient and sometimes needed an outside voice to tell us what we needed to hear. I think we all know this pandemic is real, but we need to hear that we’ll get through it. There may be tougher times ahead, but if we stay healthy, we’ll get through this stronger than before. Burying our head in the sand or letting this affect your mood will accomplish nothing. Let’s take our lumps and come back swinging. (I wonder if this is why I chose a career in telling people the hard truth?)

Wine

Wine; man, did my grandma love wine. She passed the love of wine to me, although I don’t prefer Yellowtail like she did. She would always say just one glass, although it never mattered how many times that one glass was refilled. I think we could all use some sort of wine, or something, to get us through this. When I heard of her passing, that night my family got together for a zoom toast. It was both sad and lovely at the same time. So, go have a toast to life tonight and maybe think about my grandmother along with the others who have passed. I promise if you do, it will certainly help, even if just a little.  Remember always order the good wine.  

Family

Finally, the last attribute I’ll share about her is family. If you were my grandma’s family, you were untouchable to her. She protected, loved, and gave everything to her family. She was at every family event, no matter her physical condition, bringing joy to every room. During these difficult times, let’s lean on those special people in our lives. I’m blessed to be around my fantastic family, both in person and remote. Although this hellish virus took something important from me, it has also given me perspective. I wouldn’t have this insight to my family if I wasn’t stuck at home for this length of time. (As a matter of fact, I was just interrupted to play zombie with my two youngest. Something that rarely happens at the office!) We’re not in this alone and it’s important we rely on whatever family we have.

We ain’t talking about oil

It’s funny, I started writing this article and the title was “what the heck is going on with oil?” Then I started writing about my amazing grandma and realized, this is a more important message for the moment. Oil can wait a week or two, but the message of my grandma’s life cannot. As I said, I refuse to see her as a statistic.

As I write this, there are over 214,000 worldwide deaths and counting. That means over 214,000 lives lost forever. Who knows how much more that’s multiplied, as all those families (parents, grandparents, children, aunts, and uncles) are affected by the loss. These are trying times for us all and I’d like to remind myself, and all of you, to keep these people in your hearts and your prayers.

Remember to love, laugh, stay tough, take the hard truths, family, and ONE glass of wine. If you do, not only do I promise it will help you get through this, but also help assure my grandma will never be a statistic.

Thanks for listening and gram “I love ya, love ya, love ya.”