The world we live in is a completely different place from the world our parents knew. The world our grandparents knew is even more unrecognizable. With the recent outbreak of COVID-19, my life has dramatically changed, and I’m starting to wonder if it will ever return to normal.
I used to find purpose through my work helping kids in elementary schools.
Now schools are closed. And I find purpose in helping others who may be scared, confused, or in need of support.
I used to find joy seeing my daughter kiss my mother on the cheek.
Now we’re locked in our separate counties and forbidden to leave. So I take joy in seeing my daughter kiss my mother’s image on my phone knowing that for her, the love is just as real as ever and that my mother most definitely received that kiss within her heart.
I used to pass by people in public without acknowledging or even noticing them.
Now when I pass someone, even without words, there’s a certain feeling of connection, an understanding that we’re all in this together. Because by maintaining safety through social distancing, we’re helping care for others just as much as ourselves.
I used to run around doing many different things that I thought were important.
Now my life has slowed down. As I sit in isolation, I realize I have everything I need right here. I’ve realized the importance of family and strengthening the bonds within my circle. I see how this serves as a foundation for everything else. That specifically through this, I can live my best life.
I used to wonder when life will get better…
Now I am grateful for every moment to be alive!
I don’t know if I’m ready for life to return to normal. In truth, I have no idea what normal will mean when all this is over. What I do know is what I have in my hands. And I plan to cherish every moment I have with my loved ones while I have it.
I wish you strength during these difficult times. Yes, we are facing great pressures from nature. But a fetus also experiences increasingly greater external pressures as it prepares to be born. It reaches such a size that it simply outgrows it’s previous habitat and must push through to a new and broader world.
Maybe the world we grew up in is just no longer suitable for the type of people we’ve become. And that’s a good thing! Change is scary, but if we remember that we’re all in the same boat, life becomes easier to manage.