Have you learned anything about your life over the last few weeks?
Will this experience encourage you to make any changes?
Life will return to “normal” at some point. Will it be your old “normal” or will it be a new “normal” for you?
I imagine for many of us we will be experimenting with what that will all look like. I imagine it will be something like us dipping our toes in the water, realizing it is cooler then we thought and slowly working our way deeper into it. Reserved but determined to submerse ourselves in it.
I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now. Both on a personal level and about our society.
It will be different but we won’t know for sure what that will look like. Lots of people are writing about it and many more are thinking about it.
I think and hope that people will continue to wash their hands more frequently. Being a little more aware of their personal space and how their personal hygiene affects those around them.
It will be socially acceptable to stay home when one is sick. Staying home once you feel better as recommended before returning to work will be acceptable too.
For those who choose to work or be out and about while exhibiting symptoms of illness. It will not be welcomed and others may actually speak up about it to them.
Our parks will see increased use compared to before the start of this. Not at the levels they have been experiencing but an increase none the less. It is also my hope that this will lead to more support and demand for parks and recreational space.
Likely everyone will be much more aware of our personal space.
Then there are the changes that will be made in our personal lives.
A number of years ago when I was talking to someone about Lent they said “giving up something during lent isn’t about sacrifice, it is about making space for something else in your life.” The conversation continued about how it is about making space for something you might enjoy more or for a new habit.
I’ve carried this thinking around with me for awhile. I think it applies here. It is not lost on me that what we are experiencing has occurred over lent.
Literally almost everything has been stripped from us, taking us back to the basics. Family for many of us, loved ones or roommates for many. Food. Work for those who are fortunate. School. Exercise for those able or so inclined.
For years I’ve marveled at how “busy” people are. Running here and there. How things have consumed their lives because that “is what you do”. As an outsider it seems life is run by their calendar and not by what they want. For those who attend church it was often second or maybe more to the sports events or other activities on the family calendar. Family time? What is that?
A conversation comes to mind of a spouse who told their partner, “Based on everything on the calendar with the two kids activities I’ll “see” you this summer” To hear that made me sad. Maybe that is what makes them happy or are they doing it because that is “what you do”?
I am hopeful that people and families will make changes in their lives over the coming months. Some may be personal and smaller. The family changes what will they look like? Will the family unit become more important in our lives? Will relationships with certain friends grow deeper?
I think this will be the case for many, not for everyone of course. Many will return to their “old lives” and routines. Happy to be back at it. Others will return to their “old lives” and realize that something doesn’t feel right anymore and changes will be made.
I can’t stop thinking about an old story that many of us have heard.
A professor speaking to their class takes an empty glass and sets it down. This is your life. He pulls out some marbles and starts to drop them in. The professor “labels” each marble. This is your family, this one is your job, this one is your friends. Soon the marbles are at the top of the glass. He asks the class “is it full”?. Most shake their heads in agreement. From behind the desk he pulls out some colored sand and pours it in. This is all the other things and commitments in your life. Is it full full now? The entire class nods in agreement.
I think of this story and I wonder how “full” we are going to make our glass as we return to “normal”? Are we going to continue to fill it with the sand, or are we going to leave some room? Do some of us have enough courage to maybe remove some of the marbles to leave even more room?
I imagine many are going to have different marbles in their glass then they did several weeks ago.
