The other day I stopped off at a local restaurant for some take-out lunch. A student that works there part-time has been chatting with me for the past few months about different things. He shared some of his thoughts about the current coronavirus situation, and then proceeded to ask me about my own thoughts.
Specifically, he queried, “When do you think things will be normal again?”
My first response: “Why do you want normal back? Normal is boring!”
We both shared a laugh. Then, we both had a lively banter, which I paraphrase here.
Normal is boring. Normal is not for anyone to aspire to. I know people have gotten used to saying, “I can’t wait for things to get back to normal again.” There are variants of this, but they all make a similar point. Yes, we would not do we well in an environment of constant high stress. So, yes, we would like to proceed to an environment of lower energy soon. However, why would we want things to be “normal” again?
Besides being tongue-in-cheek, there is a point I am highighting here. We will emerge out of this situation with much to fight, much to endure and eventually, on the other side, to face new and other challenges, including potential recurrences of the coronavirus pandemic owing to irresponsible politicians and people out there.
However, the question is, how will the other side look for us? Why should it be normal? I know many are suffering from sickness (and sorry for those who lose their own lives or those of loved ones), isolation, job losses, pay cuts and many other problems. However, the important thing is, this is also an opportunity for a reset. For some, there will be financial wins and losses. For many, there will be an increased sense of awareness. For others, it will be something else.
For me, and I hope for you, it is something beyond normal. Truth be told, healthcare being essential, I was allowed to get back to work very early in the shelter-in-place stage. Even with my staying home part of the day, things never really slowed down. Yet, with this strange, sometimes downright bewildering time, I see plenty of opportunity.
I have been on a kick to develop new, good habits. The little bit of extra time I have squared away has been dedicated to push my gardening to the next level. For about 140 days now, I have consistently edited and added photos to my post-production portfolio. aided by the shelter-order. The news is full of stories of people picking up gardening (to which I always say, “welcome to the party”), cooking, photography and more. There are stories of people modifying their hobbies to fit the shelter orders. This is all great, but…
This is not a vacation! Let it not be a temporary phase. Your altered habits and hobbies need not be temporary. Small or big, hang on to the change! With hope and change, you can make things great again…okay, perhaps, I will put off my venture into political humor for some other day, but you get the point!
Keep the positive changes, however small they are, and shun the negative!