Today was my first day of working from home due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

I haven’t worked from home since my daughter turned 18 months old.

It felt liberating. Roll out of bed, have a cup of coffee, toast a bagel, and head to the dining room table to fire up the borrowed laptop.

In my pajamas.

This whole COVID-19 illness has had a profound impact on communities and on families. The economy and job security are threatened. We will all survive— but as someone working in non-profits, I see this crisis from multiple angles.

But when I first saw empty shelves in grocery stores I thought, “Wow, this is like shopping in Africa.”

You see, in my travels in Africa, shopping is a different experience than here. Shops usually only have one version of any item. And they might not have any of some items. And they are small.

People in less developed countries have less choice than we do. They have less resources. They have less opportunities. They have less corporate businesses. They have unpredictable utilities.

This virus has proven a great equalizer— because suddenly ordinary Americans no longer have access to all the stuff and businesses that they traditionally frequent.

No longer do you have 15 varieties of toilet paper to chose from.

No longer can you just find when you want at the exact moment you want it.

Let this remind you that this is what some people in the world face everyday either due to living in the wrong country or due to poverty.

Privilege is redefined now.

Be humble.