Well, it finally happened. Just when I thought I escaped the frenzy and fury of it all, I caught Covid. I couldn’t believe it. The internet told me my magical Type O blood would protect me from this virus.

Let me tell you how I think it happened.

Do you remember in last month’s article, “But First, Acceptance” where I mentioned my desire to accept the fact I was now living in Houston and needed to experience this city more? I did just that and ended up catching Covid. See, what had happened was… I took my mom to the Houston Home and Garden Show where we met the lovely Egypt Sherrod from the HGTV show Married to Real Estate. She is just as beautiful and knowledgeable in person as she is on the show.

There I was. Living it up with my mom while we were buying flowers and asking questions. You know, just having a good ole time. But then 2.5 days later, in the middle of the night, the shakes and night sweats kicked in.

Note: I don’t know for sure when and were I got his icky virus but I this was the only time I went out before getting sick a few days later.

I was sick.

While I was sick, I learned three important lessons. These small, but impactful, lessons have been swimming in my head ever since. I want to share them with you.

Lesson #1: Take Your Own Advice

As I mentioned above, mom and I were having a good time going from vendor to vendor, but the event was packed. I kept nudging my mom to be careful how close she was talking to people. I literally told her, “Be careful mom. Covid is still going around.” I must’ve said this several times to her. The over protective daughter in me was in full force.

There I was telling my mom to be careful but I wasn’t careful myself. I surely didn’t have a mask on, didn’t stay 6 feet away from everybody, and I didn’t care how close anybody was to me once I got to the succulents.

Isn’t it interesting how we can give advice that we don’t take ourselves?

Lesson #2: Stop With The Self Diagnosis

Oh, what a time it is to be alive. We have so much information at our fingertips. While this can be a good thing it can also be a dangerous thing. When I first got sick I thought I had the flu. I kept saying I don’t think I have Covid. Key words “I don’t think”. Even my dad kept asking me if “I’m sure I have the flu and not Covid?” But for some reason I just didn’t believe it could be anything but the flu. Finally, when the chest pains kicked in my parents made me go to urgent care and that’s when I learned the truth.

See, there’s a difference between advice and diagnosis. Advice tells us what to do. Diagnosis tells us the problem. Sometimes we find ourselves running around seeking advice when we actually need to seek a diagnosis.

Sure this article is talking about health but seeking the proper diagnosis applies to all areas. That includes finances, business, relationships, marriage, and mental health. So, instead of using the internet to self diagnose our own problems maybe it’s time we commit to hiring a professional who can help us get to the root of the pain which will allow us to have a more effective healing process.

Lesson #3: Healing Takes Time

After six full days of isolating myself, I jumped up on day seven and decided that Covid has passed and I’m no longer contagious. Keep in mind, I wasn’t feeling 100%. I just decided I’m done with this. Well, my body and another Covid test reassured me that I actually wasn’t done.

One of the hardest lessons in life is to understand that healing takes time. We want to jump up and be done with the problem and just move on. While that sounds good, the truth is there’s a process needed for the healing to be the most effective.

Does that mean we just lay in bed and wait for our problems to pass. No, it means we listen to what our bodies and the situation needs to feel and operate better. We may even have to go back to Lesson #2 and seek professional help on how to move forward. The more we skip the healing process is the more the pain will pull us back.

I know it’s so cliché to think there’s a lesson in everything that happens to us. I’m not sure if that’s true or not. However, I do feel as though life is one big classroom. It’s just a matter of if we’re listening to the lessons that are being taught.

As always, I invite you to go deeper with this topic by checking out the Take Action below.