I don’t like uncertainty. I mean this on both a micro and a macro level. Like, I like to make reservations for dinner and I like to have goals for the year. I like to know what’s on the schedule for today and I like to have a plan for the future.

So, like pretty much everyone right now, I feel very uncomfortable with all of the ambiguity and uncertainty around the current state of things. Which is why I’ve created this list of things I know right now. This is my anchor for today. Maybe these will help you? And maybe you can make a list of your own.

Spring is coming. This thing that seems to be stopping everything else can’t stop the seasons. Sunlight and flowers and birds chirping and fresh cut grass and lush green trees and warmth are all on the way.

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13.8) There’s so much changing right now, but not one thing has changed about His love for us.

Stories are a great escape. Whether you prefer yours on Netflix, podcasts, or in the pages of books, there’s something amazing about the way a story can take our minds a million miles and a thousand years from where we actually are in the moment.

Technology can connect us. I have had more conversations with my family and face to face time (virtually) with friends around the country in the last week that I typically have in a month. All that talk about how technology isolates us seems so 2019.

Food is amazing. I’ll be honest, I’ve ordered vegetable seeds to plant a garden to prepare to feed myself if this comes to a Great Depression (see “I like to have a plan for the future” above). But in the meantime, I’m letting myself indulge in the things that taste really good right now. It turns out that cheeseburgers are delicious regardless of whether or not you’re in a crisis.

You can always laugh. And an unexpected side effect of the virus is the internet being especially funny right now. Michiel, my friend who passed away in January, could—and would—laugh at the most irreverent things at the worst times. I loved that about him. And I think of him when I remember that you can always laugh.

We were given today. I think we’re all trying to “just get through this.” But even the darkest days should be appreciated. We only get so many sunrises and sunsets in our lives. I don’t want to wish any of them away.

Nothing can separate us from God’s love. (Romans 8:38) Not isolation. Not coronavirus. Not job losses or stock market crashes. Not poverty. Not depression or loneliness. Not fear. “Neither death nor life, neither the present nor the future.”

We need each other. Whether it’s your kids or spouse or the neighbor next door who could just use a conversation over the fence or across the balcony, we are craving community—and you can be that for someone. A sense of purpose in helping others is grounding.

There’s opportunity here. Winston Churchill said “Never let a crisis go to waste.” For me—for today—this looks like tackling some bigger work projects, giving extra time to a creative side project, and making my backyard look better than it has in years. Tomorrow it may just look like more rest than usual. There’s no wrong or right way to seize an opportunity—it’s just a good reminder to know it’s there.