The Crisis Is Spurring Human Adaptation

Humans are adaptable.  

If you would've told me one month ago that a global pandemic would force society to shut down and force my family into full days in our apartment without a clear end in sight ... I would've responded with 100 reasons to despair. In fact, there have been brief moments of despair. Like when we found out school was cancelled for the year. And then something happened.

The moment passed and we adapted.

There is a Buddhist saying: “Whatever has the nature of arising has the nature of ceasing.” 

The world is constantly changing, moments arising in different ways and then passing and then new moments arising. The human challenge is to adapt without ruining ourselves. Perhaps to go with the flow. 

I'm not a Buddhist. There are limits to this way of thinking. Sometimes, we need to fight the flow, to resist circumstances, to create a better world. 

Wisdom is knowing when to ride the wave and when to swim against it.

Yesterday was a legitimately good day. The kids were good. It's difficult to know what their internal dialogue is and how much this is impacting them. Some days will be bad. But yesterday, their behavior was good. They learned something at homeschool. They created a game out of old toys. 

My wife and I were good. We were patient. Some days we will be more tired and less patient, but yesterday we were patient. We took some time to read and meditate. I cleaned the bathrooms. We all had a nice dinner. The cat tolerated everything. Cats are also adaptable. 

This is a picture of our cat sitting by the window. I was doing some early morning reading. It was peaceful.

Yesterday reminded me of when I used to work on the farm as a kid, some days sitting in a tractor all day with only AM radio. It's not that is was fun, it wasn't always fun. But it was good when I made the most of it. It was more about my mindset than the circumstances. 

I hope this doesn't last forever, but yesterday showed we can get through it without losing our minds. Staying healthy continues to be the number one priority.

Random Positives

  • For now at least, even though we can't see people in person, it's easy to sense genuine concern from one human to another. 
  • I think I'm eating better. Yes we are baking cookies but overall we are cooking at home and eating healthy meals. Most days I start with a smoothie, have a small lunch, and a decent dinner. I'm eating less overall so we can minimize grocery shopping. Next goal for me personally is to get some exercise.
  • We're spending a LOT less. 
Ok, there's some positivity. There are many many downsides to this crisis ... I'm not going to write about those today.

Investment Thoughts

Nice bounce in the markets. I expect this rally to continue, 20% or so (maybe more) from the lows and then another scary drop. I could be wrong and will adjust along the way. 

I've decided to invest in various accounts based on time horizon. This is obvious but it helps me to write it out. Here are the accounts:

401k: This is where I have the most money and the longest time horizon. I can invest in treasuries, bonds, or indices. 

IRAs: In IRAs, I like to buy ETFs or individual stocks. I should focus on long term growth because I can't access this money for a long time.

HSA: I have HSA money in a brokerage account. This is almost like an extra IRA, because it can be tax advantaged for the long term. However, I may need to use the money from time to time, so I can have a mix of long and mid- and short term investments here.

529: Not too much money in here. 10 year time horizon. I should consider moving this money from conservative to more aggressive allocation as the market drops.

Brokerage: This is an account I'm building. We want it to be accessible, so I'm looking for dividend / income producing stocks and short term plays. 

What I'm Reading ...

The Atlantic. 

Stoic / Mindful Thought ...

Whatever has the nature of arising has the nature of ceasing.

What I'm Listening To ...

CNBC.

What I'm Watching ...

CNBC.

Final Thought ...

Today we may try to go outside. It's a risk but might be worth it. These are tough decisions. Right now every day can contain multiple changes in circumstances, mood, risk tolerance, and information. We need to continue to adapt more quickly than normal. One month ago we were preparing for a soccer tournament. It feels like a very long time ago. 


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