As of the time of this post (mid-April 2020), the potential fallout from the COVID-19 virus is still a huge unknown. No one’s really sure how long the social distancing and stay-at-home orders will be in effect (or if they’ll be reinstated in the event of future recurring outbreaks). The short- and long-term ramifications for employment and the economy probably won’t be known for some time. It’s a safe bet that all of us have been hit with the reality that plans, routines, hopes, and dreams can be upended pretty quickly.

Of course, that’s always been true. Job losses, unexpected deaths, tragic accidents, relationship disintegration, bad habits – lots of things can lead to unplanned life changes. It’s just that it’s easy to get settled into the belief that things will continue and progress as they always have…

I’m not an economist. But as someone who has a passing knowledge of history, and who has been paying attention to things like the U. S. deficit and debt, it’s been clear to me for a while now that a major, disruptive economic downturn has been inevitable for some time. Our national debt – currently over $24 trillion dollars as I type (not to mention another $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities such as Social Security and Medicare) – will never be paid off. The folks to whom that money is owed – China, people expecting Social Security throughout their retirement, etc., etc. – are going to be profoundly unhappy when that money does not materialize. But that unhappiness won’t change the facts on the ground.

A major economic reckoning is unavoidable. Whether this current virus is the triggering mechanism, or whether the truly catastrophic reckoning gets delayed a bit more by printing a bunch of additional fictional money, remains to be seen. But make no mistake – it is coming.

I say all this not to invoke despair, or fear. On the contrary – I say it to encourage a sober, realistic “taking stock” in each of our lives. For many of us, our lives leading up to this time have been so filled with activity that, despite any occasional planning we try to do, we mostly  live in such a way that we react to the choices we’ve made – choices arrived at more by cultural expectations, and operating in a largely “autopilot” mode, rather than by deep reflection about what’s really important.

Our choices are very likely going to be much more limited going forward. And while that will no doubt entail some pain and grieving, it can also be a great blessing. The “pause” we currently find ourselves in is a great opportunity to take a look at where we stand and to evaluate our priorities. It’s a great opportunity to become proactive in taking steps towards a lifestyle in which we don’t need as much money to be happy or pay the bills, in which we’re less reliant on an increasingly fragile just-in-time food distribution and inventory system, and in which we can learn skills – as our grandparents did – to repair and reuse and re-purpose stuff we already have.

To that end, I’ve already offered one suggestion here.

The second suggestion I would offer is to make 2020 the year you learn – or enhance your knowledge of – growing food. Find an area of your yard that gets a good amount of sun, and go for it. Doing multiple beds around 4 feet wide, rather than one giant area, makes it easier to get in for weeding, pest control, and harvesting. If the sunny area is in a low spot that collects water, build some cheap raised beds using treated 2×12 lumber – again, around 4 feet wide each for easy access. Do research on what grows best in spring/summer/fall for your area. Get your seeds ASAP – squash (summer and winter), cucumbers, peas – whatever you like to eat.

Go online and research options like container gardening, vertical gardening, and square foot gardening. Lots of things can be grown vertically on a trellis with a bit of vine training early in the season – pole beans, cucumbers, smaller melons. Summer squash can be grown more vertically using tomato cages. Sweet potatoes can be grown in containers with the vines on a trellis behind the containers. And leaves of sweet potatoes can be harvested as summer greens! (The same is NOT true of regular potatoes – don’t eat those leaves!). T-posts and hog panels from places like Tractor Supply make for sturdy trellises. Grow food in containers on your deck or patio or balcony. Plant some fruit trees and/or berry bushes. They’ll take a few years to start yielding, but get them in the ground now! For fruit trees and bush options beyond your local stores, check out places like Stark Brothers or Honeyberry USA.

Then start to learn how to preserve what you grow – freezing, canning, dehydrating, etc. – so that you can enjoy it all year long, and be less affected by shortages in the grocery store. But don’t dally – I’ve noticed that canning jars and pressure canners are suddenly hard to come by. (I suspect good quality dehydrators like the Excalibur models will be next). But even if you can’t get that stuff for this season, don’t let that stop you from gardening this summer. You’ll still be able to eat and freeze this year’s crops. There’s also a good bet that a family member or friend has canning supplies you could borrow. (Plus, you can go ahead and add that kind of stuff your Christmas list!). Most importantly – since gardening takes a few years to really learn and get good at, the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll become an expert!

There are plenty of other things you could start learning as well – cooking from scratch, sewing, bicycle repair. YouTube can be a resource for all that stuff.

The point I’m trying to make is this: major change is coming. If not now, it’s likely to be sooner rather than later. I suspect we’ll all need to downshift our lifestyles and adjust our priorities. So let’s face it head-on, with a clear head, a renewed heart, and the Lord at our side.

We shall overcome.