Some GOOD things came about with the COVID crisis

[gnappi]

OK, maybe that subject line is a bit of gallows humor but looking back at the last year some good has come of it for shooters.

1. A LOT of new shooters have joined the firearms owners of America, and hopefully some have changed their perspective in the voting booth.

2. New reloaders abound. The last year I've read more newbie posts on sites I visit than ever before. Again, hopefully some have changed their perspective in the voting booth.

3. A LOT of firearm collections have been plundered by their owners and they have wound up on websites and LGS. Whether they sold to take advantage of the uptick in value or their lives were in financial distress is unknown but in either case it likely helped the sellers situation and opened up opportunities for buyers.

Item three has been of most interest to me. I've been fortunate to have planned ahead and a few safe queens or hard sellers on shelves I'd rarely seen were recently added to my bevy of beauties.

Is anyone else having some good fortune in these "trying" times?

[Kenk]

For me, it got me out of a very caustic contracting work environment, as my manager at Cargill was a complete Asswagon. Not sure what's next, but am trusting it will be much better 😊

[gnappi]

I walked away from a couple of toxic jobs, every time I did I landed something better. Chin up, stay the course... :-)

[Kenk]

Just walked away from one of those myself, best thing I've ever done. Now the question... What's next on the horizon is

[NavyVet1959]

I decided that I had enough money saved up a few years ago to retire... So "walking away" these days would either be GETTING a job or just dying... Probably the latter is more likely...

Was in SE Asia all of January of 2020... WRONG time to be in SE Asia... My wife and I caught "The Flu" and quarantined all of February... Not because we were *forced* to quarantine, but more of because we just felt so crappy that we didn't even have the energy to leave the house...

[sqlbullet]

Overall the COVID situation has been good for me and mine.

I am now WAHA all the time.  My company embraced the lessons and the savings and is closing admin offices.  All executives and admin staff now work from home.

My travel schedule has become sane.  I used to travel about 20 weeks a year, with about 3/4ths of that being international.  I have not traveled for work since February 2020, and have no travel planned.  Even when restrictions are lifted, it will be maybe 3 trips a year.

A year of distance learning has fundamentally changed my children's attitude toward school.  At parent teacher conference last week the lowest score in any class was 96%.  My kids were not poor students, but they were often lazy.  They have learned the truth that the actual easy path is to stay ahead of homework and pay attention in class.

If I could just replenish my stock of small primers (not out, but below 2K each of SR and SP) life would be bliss.

[38-40]

Didn?t change much for me except the ammo shortage. My job was Considered critical services so I just kept on working.

[PCFlorida]

As 38-40 said my position was considered critical and I actually got an impressive raise. I gave most of it away and don't regret it at all. Be well my friends.

[LRJammer]

I was fortunate enough to escape a dead end job and land a new job with a large aerospace manufacturer just as the Covid shutdown was ramping up. Previously, I had to drive 80 miles (one way) to work each day. With long work days, that didnt leave much family time.

I started the new job working from home. That was 21 months ago! Still working from home and I have been approved to work from home permanently! Absolutely loving it.

[blaster]

not much change for me either. I'm self employed and work outdoors and alone. (commercial fisherman) I did however find out that my 5000 per size primer reserve was not enough to carry me over this shortage.

[Markwell]

      Once again, thru Covid and Biden this time, we've reaffirmed that our planning and stockpiling of components has not been based on paranoia but history; it does repeat itself.  5K primers per size and type aint near enough BTW.

[gnappi]

Y'all keep your ears to the ground... There are still some good deals out there. If / when you see them do not hesitate, pull the trigger on the purchase. A few less steaks in the freezer is less painful than no ammo :-)

[mope540]

My brother's extremely annoying wife now avoids being around people.
The sharp decrease in road traffic has been another blessing

I retired in March, but the 'epidemic' had no effect on me because being 'vaccinated' was not a job requirement, and I've not caught any flu or cold in the last 2 years.

[Roguer]

I lost some weight with the break through I had! Thank god I had the vaccinations so it wasn't as bad as it could of been.

[sqlbullet]

I have a building full of high-risk people.  Severe astma and lung issues.  And I don't mean the "I wheeze a little when I run" kind of asthma.  We have the "tell me a funny joke and I turn blue and go to the hospital for a week" kind of asthma.  My oldest boy only has 80% lung function as a 23 year old.  Also, my parents live(d) with us.  Dad was well into dementia and has always had lung issues as well.

Positives.

I have to admit, the increased social acceptance of masks in public has been great.  We have not had any lung related illness since before covid.  We typically have at least three cases of lung infection a year.  Also, only one cold, and that impacted only one person, my youngest daughter (14).

A year of distance learning has turned my kids into super-students.  They always got good grades, usually A's with a B or two for flavor.  Since returning to school in person this past fall, it is rare for me to see anything but 100% from my two youngest who are still in high school.  The communication and time management skills they learned when distance learning have really accelerated them.

Finally, the "new norm" fits my introverted family well.  Instead of spending our limited social energy on things that are "expected" we are able to be more discerning about what will enrich us and/or others lives, and engage with a level of energy and enthusiasm in those tasks that we didn't used to have.

So, we are happier, healthier and enjoying a better life than we did pre-covid.