Jayde Lindbo, Minot

It is in times like these that I slow down to look at the reality of what’s going on and quit being so selfish. I think we all fall into this once in a while.

Normally I am not too ecstatic to get out of bed at 6 a.m. every day but lately, I have not minded it as much.

At the beginning of this crisis, I was just being selfish and getting angry because I couldn’t find eggs at the grocery store and I was down 60% on most of my single stocks.

As I watch all of these people lose their jobs, whether temporary or permanent, I see them scrambling to figure out how they will make ends meet – either get a job at Walmart stocking toilet paper, or wait for the government to catch you hopefully before you hit the ground; it makes me wish I had a credit card with no limit to help them out. We’re talking about good, wholesome people who just weren’t in the right place at the right time.

It’s not easy, it’s not fun – for anyone. Ordinary working class, big investors, and everyone in between. And the only way to get through it is collaborative effort from everyone. That’s what I have noticed the most.

I’ve seen the whole community come together like I’ve never seen before – curb-side pickup downtown, school teachers busting their ass to put together online curriculums, individuals and businesses alike stepping up to help others financially or with extra supplies, and much more that we don’t see.

This community bonding is what our country was built on and what we have gotten away from over the years. We should learn a lesson from this that the world would be a better place if we work together… I know I am taking the hint from God this time!!!

For those of us still working:

I turn right onto the bypass at around 6:55 every morning and the past couple of weeks I’ve seen half the amount of cars, if not a third, that I normally do. My bank’s closed to the public, one of my mother’s businesses is closed, a dozen of my friends have been laid off, it sucks to watch.

For that reason, I consider it the least I can do to have gratitude and appreciation that I still am able to go to work and support myself. I’m not sure if there’ll be a point that I can’t work for a while, but I’m grateful that I have time now to prepare for that. Every single monthly bill that I have is paid completely through April, and I feel secure now, thanks to my ability to go to work.

Work isn’t always something that I enjoy. I love my job, but sometimes it’s unpredictable, takes abnormal commitment and some days are hard for their own reasons. But I’ve found that ever since I have changed my mentality from I HAVE to go to work to I GET to go to work, it has made me enjoy every day much more and take pride in what I do. And working or not, you should too.

Moral of the story is we need to talk to God. We need to trust that He will get us through this better off than we were before. Because every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

We also need to thank Him for what we do have. No matter what your situation is I guarantee there’s somebody out there that’s worse off. So let’s start thanking God, working together, and being happy.