Last week was a struggle.

In life, I have experienced losses, failures and challenges. This feeling was different. It was more like depression.

It is an unusual emotion for me. The last time I experienced it was in November after my injury. I was in the hospital stuck in bed because I couldn’t put any pressure on my legs.

I was in a very bad place. I could not walk and my blood tests didn’t look good.

I was in pain and didn’t have a diagnosis.

My roommate had a lot of problems. The poor guy moaned most of the night, so I couldn’t even sleep.

I was depressed.

We didn’t have a game plan. I had no idea how long I would be in the hospital.

Then an encouraging call from my entire high school soccer team following practice raised my spirits.

This time my wife and I are in self-imposed isolation because of the coronavirus. We are in the high-risk group because of our age.

News about the virus on TV isn’t good. Additional restrictions are being added daily. Our business is impacted.

The stock market and our IRA are losing value. The economy is sinking.

We had to cancel our Disney vacation with our son’s family and grandkids.

Now we have time but can’t go to visit them.

We can’t even have dinner at a restaurant with our friends.

Just like that day for me back in November, the future is uncertain. Last week I was depressed and having a pity party for myself.

We have never faced a challenge like this coronavirus in our lifetimes. The things happening are like nothing we have ever experienced.

Maybe you feel like I did last week.

We are fortunate we live in a rural area and can go for a walk and work in the yard. I can’t imagine being stuck in an apartment for weeks not being able to go for a walk or being in a house with kids who want to go out and play with their friends.

Just like in November, it was people that got me moving in the right direction last week. This time I made the phone call.

I called John, one of my professional speaker friends. He lost ALL of his business for at least the next six months. He was down.

His three teenage girls were home also. Everyone was sleeping in.

He knew something had to change. We both know that action changes attitude.

We can’t control the virus ,but we can control our response to it.

On Thursday, our Speakers Chapter held its first-ever Town Hall meeting. John facilitated. Everyone had a chance to vent and discuss their own situation.

The energy was low at the beginning. Professional speakers are usually very upbeat and energetic folks.

We knew it was bad when the comics and humorists weren’t cracking jokes.

As the discussion went on, people started talking about what we could do to help each other and began developing ideas to implement. The mood changed to one of hope.

I’m glad John and I talked last week. He inspired me to take action as the chapter president.

We need people, human interaction. We also need to know others care about us.

In these challenging times, it is important to have hope in the future because that gives us power in the present.

Sometimes we need to generate our own hope.

In the hospital, I generated hope by working hard at physical therapy. I could see daily improvement and that gave me the hope I needed for the next day. Now is not the time to stay in bed depressed or bury our sorrows in a bottle.

Now is the time to do something positive. We have 100 percent control over our attitude and our actions.

For me, getting with my friends and like-minded people to brainstorm actions we can take to help our business when this challenge passes was important. It is important to look for ways to help others who may be hurting more than we are. Helping others puts our problems in perspective.

At Shale Crescent USA, we are continuing to work with prospects and move projects forward.

There is a lot we can do even when many people are working from home.

We have two Zoom video meetings next week with prospects we originally were going to visit with face-to-face.

The show must go on.

We get a lot of goods from China.

Many of their factories were built before the advantages of the Shale Crescent USA were known.

We have economical, abundant energy and feedstocks here. We have automation.

Is it finally time to move the manufacture of Chinese pharmaceuticals and other critical medical and health care products back to the USA and maybe to our region, creating jobs?

Sometimes opportunity comes disguised as a challenge or a problem.

What opportunities have you been presented with?

I’m cleaning my office and getting my taxes done before April 15 for the first time in years, even though the new tax filing deadline has been moved to July 15.

I can’t claim I’m “too busy.”

My son started jogging. He’s not big on exercise but with all four kids home from school and him working from home, he needed to get out of the house for a break.

My daughter is a teacher who has more time and flexibility. She is playing more golf.

She walks instead of using a cart. She can practice social isolation, get exercise and have fun.

What can you do if you have more time than you are used to?

What can you do to help someone less fortunate than you?

Is there a friend or relative who needs an encouraging call from you?

Do something positive!

Have hope. Believe in the future. Stay safe.

Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering who has over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. He is the author of four books and numerous published articles.