Tomorrow I go back to my physical place of work for the first time since March of 2020. I have a bunch of emotions right now. I am excited, I am scared, I am nervous. But a questions keeps playing over and over again in my mind.... are we ever going to get back to normal?
This past year has been difficult world wide... in my little microcosm we were very lucky and experienced minimal effects. Yes, we couldn't go to our physical spaces to work and we couldn't go out to restaurants. Our childcare was closed and schools buildings were not open, but overall we were very much unaffected. We didn't feel the economic impacts, our children are lucky because I am a teacher and know how to supplement and help them with their learning, we took time to really develop our cooking skills and ordered take out when needed. So I want everyone to know that I KNOW we were lucky. But, some things were definitely hard. I am a super social person and really live off of social relationships and connecting with people. I am not a homebody and I love going to work and going out places. So having all of that halted for the last year was pretty definitely a learning experience for me. But here we are... it is time to go back to work. My son started school (2 days a week but I will take it). Its exciting to think we are going to do some sort of normal activity... until you look at the rules and expectations. 6 feet distance. No face to face meetings to reduce contact, no sharing materials, more virtual work....Every time I start to feel excited about this next step, another rule or regulation comes out that makes me realize that this is NOT normal. We still have to be so very careful. We are still in the middle of a global pandemic that is taking lives and still a mystery to us. It is so exhausting. It leads me to questions like, will we every be back to normal? Will we every be maskless? Will we ever be able to hug? Will we ever go to concerts, festivals, movies again? These are all questions that continue to play over in my head. I am sure that I am not the only one in this state of mind right now.
Whenever I get in these circles of thought, and lost in this abyss of despair I always remember the wise words of my friend. "What can you control now?" I can't control the virus. I can control the CDC guidelines of safety. I can't control when this virus will go away what. What I can control is doing my part to help get things back to normal. I can wear my mask. I can teach my kids to be careful and social distance. I can wash my hands, stay home when we are sick, I can do all of those things. I can also enjoy my time in this slow pace of life. I can enjoy my home that I rarely spent time in prior to this virus. I can do something new- a new hobby, a new show, and new place to organize or decorate. These are ALL things I can control in my life. I can also control my mindset. Normal- what is normal anyway? Normal to me is a healthy family, healthy friends, a happy home. Those are the things that are my normal and something that I should work hard to maintain. Stay healthy friends... and enjoy your "normal".
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