Life in March was paralyzing. The incessant flow of negative news stories crashed over us like a tsunami. Our society endured the first global health threat of our lifetimes, and we did not adapt well.
Even now, months on, we hold our hope for a vaccine to return things to the way that they used to be. We pine for the ability to walk into a store without a mask, to go and see a movie with our friends, or even to sit in a crowded restaurant to enjoy a good meal. Sadly, the robust economy of January and February is on hiatus, and we’re back in the 2009-2011 world of an economy only starting to heal from a recession.
It’s easy to still be paralyzed. I’m guilty of this. Before, once or twice a week we were about town on some adventure. The easy days of picnic lunches at Mom’s office, or even just surprising her with a coffee run, are gone, for now. Now I rarely leave the house with my kids.
The situation is worsened by all of our new free time. The election cycle seems particularly brutal this time around, but that’s only because we have less to distract us. We’re living emptier lives, allowing the darkness on the internet and in the news to fill that gap with abjectly negative emotions. We let our anxiety dictate our lives and spend that extra time judging others.
We’re living a new normal, and it’s time for us to act like it. We can’t move about as freely as we could before, but we can still get out. Parks, hiking trails, even some of our favorite amusements are available, albeit under new restrictions. What about our backyards or the buckets of toys that we have to play with in our garages?
The Sunday obligation to attend Mass is suspended, and a weekday liturgy is even more of a stretch, but why not try? Don’t let your Sunday slip into just another Saturday.
What about those great ideas that we never had time for before all of this? Starting a reading aloud habit, scheduling one-on-one time with your kids, establishing a solid morning and evening routine, or regular family prayer? Now is the time! Now is the
opportunity.
A vaccine will help us get over this hump, but global events like these tend to form new behaviors and routines. We may not be able to go back to the old ways, but we still have the gift of today. How are you going to spend it?
Tags: Wellness
