COVID-19 has dramatically changed the way we see our world. Things we used to take for granted now look very different. There’s something about having things taken away that reminds you how much you loved them, need them, and want them back.



With the things we’re missing in mind, Cristina and I put together this list of 75 things we’ll never take for granted again…

Backyard BBQs

Kissing my wife

Holding my husband after a long day

Reagan running across a lacrosse field

Riley performing on stage

Sunday morning worship at church

Opening OrangeBall Creative’s office door on a Monday morning

Birthday parties in my brother’s backyard

Puzzles and baking with my mom

Middle school choir concerts

Ending summer with the Minnesota State Fair

Hauling the kids to activities

Meetings with customers

Walking through Times Square

Flying anywhere

Dropping the twins off at school

Friday night fish fries

Shopping for groceries (the way we used to do it)

Non-profit fundraisers

Exploring the Institute of Arts

Sports – all of them

Sitting in traffic

Lunches outside with my team

Coffee with clients

Happy hours with clients

A trip to the dentist office

Nurse and doctors (the heroes)

Grocery store cashiers, baggers, and stockers (more heroes)

Semi-truck and delivery drivers (heroes too…)

First responders (we always knew they were heroes)

Hugging Reagan and Riley

Neighborhood bonfires

Summer festivals

Time with my brothers

Wednesday night Bible study with the guys

Thursday night Bible study with the girls

Friday morning breakfast at the VFW with Rick, John, Steve, and Jeff

Summer camp

Waiting in line at Starbucks, Caribou, Dunn Brothers, The Lynhall, Spyhouse

The driving range with the kids

Ice cream shop adventures

A fresh haircut

Facials, brows, and nails

Cigars with with Norm

Unmapped Brewery with Brian

Walking across downtown Minneapolis

Summer baseball at Target Field

Family brunches

Snowboarding with Reagan

The movies with Riley

Date nights out

Giving my nephew a horsey ride

Laughing with my sisters

Hugging my family

Having big family birthday parties

Sharing a meal with the people I love

Playing cards with my cousins

Having people smile in the grocery store

Having hands without gloves

Walking through my favorite bookstores

Hands that aren’t cracked and dry from so much handwashing

Chatting with the neighbors outside without social distancing

Planning our next getaway

Enjoying an extended family vacation

Lunch from the bakery down the street

Walking through the Arboretum

Sweating at the gym

Dropping stuff off at school for the kids

Leading bootcamps for clients

News that’s not about COVID-19

The Summer Olympics

Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth

March Madness

Broadway shows and Minneapolis theatre

Live music with friends

The common bond between everything on this list? They’re all things we do together, with other people. Life was meant to be experienced and celebrated with others. We were meant to go through sadness and challenges with others. We were never meant to be isolated or socially distanced… We were created to enjoy relationships, friendships, and share experiences with one another. That’s what makes COVID so hard.

The funniest thing about this list? A few of these aren’t actually things we enjoy. Sitting in traffic sucks – until you can’t anymore. And then, you start thinking about those traffic jams in terms of the places you were headed to and the people you were going to see, and everything takes on a new perspective. Looking ahead, we’ll see that traffic in a very different light.

The Takeaway

When the trauma of COVID-19 begins to subside, and life begins returning to our new normal, remember not to let these things come and go without being grateful, thankful, and appreciative of their place in your life. Make your own list of some of the things you miss right now, and once you start to get them back, celebrate them. Even the traffic…

In the midst of COVID and all the dark noise in the news, we’re all in need of some additional positivity, optimism, and ways to reconnect with what’s really important. If you’re looking for more of that, subscribe here today for weekly messages from Depth Not Width.