I think that I had the mindset in the beginning of the shutdown, that we were just hitting the pause button, flattening the curve and then everything would quickly go back the way that it was before this whole coronavirus mess, sooner than later. That was my optimistic, hopeful, Pollyanna mindset, without any real logical thought and reasoning behind it. It was a neat and tidy view. “Let’s just clean up this lil’ mess, and get on with our lives. Sunshine fixes everything.”
When things started opening back up again, it was obvious that quite a few people had the same mindset as me, and many were even a lot more bullish than me, about our state of affairs. (I tend to err on the side of caution.) Eager to put things behind us, people, to varying degrees, started behaving as if the pandemic was nearly over. Unfortunately and currently, my beautiful home state of Florida is now considered to be anywhere from a hotspot, to an epicenter of the coronavirus, depending on who you talk to about it. Normal is nowhere in sight.
I think that this is one of the hardest things to get used to about the pandemic. You get that housebound, “I gotta get outta here” feeling, so you head out of your house, to clear your head, all in search of “normal.” But where is “normal”? Will I ever get used to seeing masked faces, especially on children? Will I ever stop feeling the need to shrink into myself (my posture has never been worse) any time I pass another person on the street or in a store? Will I ever be able to sit in an eating establishment again, without that queasy uneasiness, and feeling the need to rush through the experience and escape the confines? Why does everyone seem to have an extra “edge” to their personalities these days, that makes them less approachable and sometimes even downright scary – of course, though, why wouldn’t they? Why does every decision feel like a weighty, two-edged sword? Should my daughter go to her physical school, with the inherent health risks, or should she do subpar on-line studies again? Should we support our friends’ and our family’s celebrations in person, or should we stay safer at home and be there in spirit, at the risk of hurting feelings? Should my eldest son risk flying down to visit us, or should we just continue with the poor, but safe substitute of Facetime? How much of our shopping is just better done online? There are very few easy decisions these days, with even fewer clear answers. It makes my head hurt.
I leave my house, to escape home and the monotonous routine, but everything that I encounter on the outside is so unusual, so disturbing, such an “in-your-face” reminder of the mess that we are in, that I find myself clamoring to just rush back home and quickly shut the door on it all, behind me. Will I ever get used to our “new normal” to the point when a vaccine is found and things really do start going back to the way we knew them, that I might actually have to get used to my “old normal” in the way that I am feeling right now about today’s state of affairs? What a completely bizarre experience we are all going through!!
That being said, some things remain constant. Good food tastes wonderful. Laughter is the best medicine. Sleep is a lovely, peaceful, renewing experience. Nature seems impervious to it all, and remains a sanctuary for us to settle into and calm our nerves. We have each other to lean on, to love on, to gain perspectives from, and to rally our collective strength and courage. And of course and most importantly, our Maker has never left us and will lead us through it all, if we get quiet and humble enough to hear the directions we should take to bring us to a brighter tomorrow.
Yes, this situation has gone on far longer than I anticipated. But then again, I never expected it in the first place.
I’m not bothered by people wearing masks. I think I’ve just accepted that it’s what we do right now, like putting on shoes or sunscreen.
And I’ve come to realize that I’m not longing to go BACK to normal. I’m anticipating the arrival of something better than “normal”. COVID has forced our world into a supersize re-set. We are now forced to pay attention to how we treat one another. We are forced to examine our own habits (wear a mask, don’t touch your face, wash your hands). We are forced to look at where and how we spend money. To look at needs versus wants and to finally understand the difference. We are forced to examine what and how we eat. For many, there will be lots of “pandemic pounds” added to the scale, but for others, there will be a recognition that life cannot be sustained by fast food alone.
The enforced isolation can be either detrimental or it can provide time for self-reflection. Technology is a double-edged sword, either keeping us in touch with our loved ones or allowing us to fill the void with mindless drivel. We have come to a reckoning point in history. This is when we as individuals, as well as a collective humanity, find out what we are made of. Can we do the hard thing for the benefit of all, or do we remain selfish, myopic little creatures whose comfort and satisfaction takes precedence over the greater good?
This is our generation’s World War. The entire world is fighting a simultaneous battle, not with bombs and bullets, and not against one another, but against a greater scourge that seeks to take us down. This virus doesn’t respect man-made borders. It doesn’t care what language you speak or the color of your skin. It leaps across oceans and uses our own weaknesses as it’s weapons. For an entity without a brain, it is very, very smart. It uses our desire to be seen, heard, and felt by our fellow humans as the delivery device for destruction. The most evil human could not have designed a more insidious brand of torture than what COVID has wrought by forcing us to remain physically separate from one another.
But COVID has no concept of the human spirit and its desire to thrive. In the midst of all this chaos, people are showing one another kindness and caring. Human ingenuity has moved to the forefront. Teams of medical researchers around the globe are working together, sharing information to fast-track the discovery of a vaccine that will stop the beast. It has become imperative that the welfare of all be placed above the profits of a few. I think that in past centuries when life was infinitely more simple, people understood that concept but it has become lost as we’ve come to worship at the altar of bigger, better, next. We’ve hit the breaking point, and it’s time to learn how to reconcile technology with the most basic human values in order to ensure our survival.
Holy cow, I had no intention of getting up on a soapbox this morning. I was just going to dash off a quick comment about how YOUR thoughts today have influenced my thinking about the situation. Well, maybe you can glean a nugget or two from my rambling to blog about tomorrow!
EXCELLENT POST!! Thank you, Kelly. Thank you.