So many times in life we don’t know what to do.  

We turned to God, relatives or friends seeking guidance.  

With the COVID-19 pandemic and all of its variants adding to the uncertainty of life with every passing day and no end in sight life has become even more confusing. Should we wear a mask or not? Should we get a vaccination or not? Should we eat inside a restaurant? Should we go see a movie? Should we attend a concert or a sporting event? Should we go to school or not? What do we do? How do we do it? 

So many questions with few clear answers. Every time it looks like life is going to return to some semblance of normal a new variant appears with looming threats of quarantines and shutdowns.  

No wonder some have chosen to put their lives on an indefinite hold as fear, anxiety and depression have gripped them.  

Drug use has increased, but suicides have decreased.  

Experts say the decrease is because people have been more supportive of each other during the pandemic. Everywhere we look there are more obstacles to maneuver around or break through. But the answer is to not be frozen with indecision. 

 Albert Einstein, who possessed one of the most brilliant minds in history, wrote “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”  

He sent this piece of advice in a letter to his son in 1930, but it is even more relevant in this day and time. When life is getting us down it is natural to want to shut down.  

But as Einstein said, that is not the way to react. God never promised we would not face difficulties in life.  

And COVID-19 and all of its facets have been a formidable obstacle for most of us and a deadly one for many. But the only way to overcome these obstacles in our life, as Einstein said, is finding ways to keep moving.  

I’m dealing with teaching speech classes for college students while everyone is wearing masks. It is an obstacle to be sure. It has frustrated me on many levels, but I fear it may be an issue I have to deal with the rest of the semester.  

A bigger obstacle for me would be teaching a speech class on-line so I am willing to deal with masks if the practice keeps us in the classroom.  

I keep moving, working within the parameters I have been given which means every person on our campus has to wear a mask inside a building.  

Exceptions to the rule are few. Dating back to my days in elementary school and continuing through college I was never known as a stickler for following rules. So being told what to do, whether it be not being allowed to attend a sporting event or concert, or being told where I can or can’t eat, I still bristle at mandates.  

But they are a part of our world now. We have to accept them and move on. COVID-19 has taken away so much of our lives we always trusted would be there. The phrase “adapt or die”, which generally is used in business discussions, is just as true for us in our personal life.  

Whether we like it or not, if we are going to fight this virus, we are all going to have to adapt but still keep moving ahead.  

It’s really the only choice we have.