COVID-19: A Slice of Humble Pie

My world is filled with standing on stages, meeting wonderful people, writing books, and living the dream … until March of 2020. Overnight everything changed — my full calendar became empty.

What’s your slice of humble pie?

So we are in this together, right?

My speaker buds and I have taken a hit and were served a large slice of humble pie. The first Zoom call, most of us were in shock. The once totally put-together impressive women who always dress to kill looked like they wanted to hurt somebody … anybody. I could hardly recognize some folks — no make-up and some half-dressed. You only need to be dressed from the waist up for a Zoom call. One speaker friend confessed to the group that since she has been home-schooling; her children now call her Smother instead of Mother.

Of course, we have developed a new vocabulary: social distancing, new normal, and virtual whatever. Indecent exposure is now defined as someone not wearing a mask in public.

What have you learned? What are you learning?

I know what I am learning. All my bits of sweet tea wisdom and southern fried humor sound great when you are sharing from a stage or writing a story, but suddenly those words become totally alive when you have to live your own speech.

Years ago I heard a story by the great Zig Zeigler that still lingers in my head. The parents of twin boys were totally baffled. The boys were polar opposites: one was super positive and the other totally negative. The parents sought the help of a renowned psychologist to help even out the attitudes of the twins. One of the boys was put in a room with the best toys for him to play with. The other twin was placed on a room with nothing but a huge pile of manure. The parents and psychologist observed the twins as they interacted with their environments. The twin placed in the room with the state-of-the-art toys suddenly burst into tears. “There is no one to play with me!” he exclaimed. The other twin had a different experience. In the room with the pile of manure, the parents and psychologist only saw the child’s legs — the rest of his body was jammed into that awful pile of manure. Then they heard him say, “There has to be a pony in here somewhere!”

So it all goes back to attitude and how we see things. A friend of mine confessed that she had forgotten how to enjoy the simple things in life. She hears the birds sing more and sees the beauty in budding flowers.

It’s a humbling experience when the playing field is level and we have to dig deep, even in our own pile of manure, and develop skills and go through to get through.

I am thankful for good health, a wonderful family, and a sweet supportive community.

Back to my original question; what have I learned?

Be thankful and, although COVID-19 is not funny, try to find some levity and laughter. In order to survive in a healthy way, let’s all dig deep and look for simple pleasures.

Picture of Jane Jenkins Herlong

Jane Jenkins Herlong

Jane Jenkins Herlong is a Southern humorist, Sirius XM comedian, member of the Speaker Hall of Fame, and the best-selling author of four books. Jane travels the country sharing her sweet tea wisdom and Southern fried humor. For information on how to contact Jane for speaking engagements or to purchase her books, CD’s or MP3’s, visit www.janeherlong.com
Picture of Jane Jenkins Herlong

Jane Jenkins Herlong

Jane Jenkins Herlong is a Southern humorist, Sirius XM comedian, member of the Speaker Hall of Fame, and the best-selling author of four books. Jane travels the country sharing her sweet tea wisdom and Southern fried humor. For information on how to contact Jane for speaking engagements or to purchase her books, CD’s or MP3’s, visit www.janeherlong.com

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