QUARANTINE LIFE: THURSDAY THOUGHTS

Announcements of towns and cities, businesses, and activities reopening and resuming aren’t encouraging the cheerful sprint to the front door that some may think. For those who have been committed to doing their part to slow the spread of Covid, re-emerging will be a thoughtful, cautious stroll. 

Not everyone is anxiously rushing to pick up where they left off. Some people will never go back to sitting in rush hour traffic, spending hours in offices, tolerating useless meetings, or being strangers to their loved ones. There will be no getting back to normal, or immediately resuming how things used to be if it simply didn't work. People are being vaccinated as they are led, and as their personal circumstances demand— not to compete, keep up with, or be dragged into the already made, future plans of the busy, vaccinated Joneses. 

This pause has been difficult for so many; devastating even, as grieving goes on day after day, but it’s also been a strange, unexpected, and enlightening gift. It has revealed that “normal” was anything but. In the light of the past year, and it's adjustments, "normal” may have been found to be stressful,  one-sided, joyless, inappropriate, shady, dysfunctional, expensive, taxing, wasteful, silly, unhealthy, inauthentic, stupid, annoying, dull, draining, inconsiderate, demanding, abusive, and/or exhausting. Many are realizing that how things “used to be” weren't so hot, and only benefited a selfish, overbearing few. Many are acknowledging how often their own choices left them lacking, feeling used, overworked, and put upon. A close, long look at “normal” revealed that it shouldn’t be resumed, redeemed, or resurrected at all. Post-covid has to continue to be purposeful and refreshing. There are choruses of “I got a new attitude” being sung by people who, pre-pandemic, rarely considered their own circumstances, or uttered the word, “No”.

When Miss ‘Rona takes her leave, the new boundaries, rules, requirements and expectations of those whose eyes have been opened may be a surprise. I imagine there will be a tremendous increase in those who have made much needed improvements to their own concepts of “normal” for themselves and their families; who have learned what truly matters, are happier, more peaceful, and who discovered what demands, or is more worthy of their time, attention, and resources.