A New Normal, For Now

So, here we are in uncharted territory. Coronavirus in 2020. Completely changing life as we know it. Forcing us to sit back, slow down and be still for a while. We are not used to this as a society. We are used to a fast-paced lifestyle where everything is go, go, go. We want what we want and we want it now. Information, food, entertainment. Everything has been at our fingertips at the click of a button for so long that being told to stay in your home for the unforeseeable future is a bit of a shock to the system. But what if this is just what we need? Of course, I’m not discounting all of the people suffering because of this pandemic. We are in a scary, dark place right now. But there is definitely light where you look for it.

Honestly, we’ve gotten so busy in our day to day lives that we rarely have time to simply sit back and appreciate what we have. This time of uncertainty is forcing us to wake up every morning and feel grateful for the things that matter most- we have a roof over our heads, food to nourish our bodies and a family that gives us love, purpose and keeps us going when we need it most.

I’m sure you’ve been filling your days with things like reading, activities for the kids, cooking and getting outside for fresh air. Maybe you’ve taken up a new workout regimen or you’ve organized that closet you’ve been putting off for months. You are actually getting to spend quality time with your children or spouse instead of only giving half of your attention to them and rushing to check off the next to do on your never-ending list of to dos. I, for one, am grateful for this moment of pause and hope that when our lives resume to some sort of normalcy, we will stop to look around once in a while with a little more gratitude and the ability to show compassion for others.

I look forward to the day when we can go back out to have a nice family dinner at our favorite restaurant but instead of being preoccupied with the stresses of work or distracted by our phones, we will actually enjoy each other’s company and soak in the meaningful conversation. I can’t wait for my son to wake up more excited for school and eager to go learn and play with his friends. The next concert, sporting event or group outing I attend will be more than just an entertaining night out, but instead a place where I can go to be with so many other people and feel unified knowing that they all love something just as much as I do. I think we will all learn to appreciate those nights out with friends a little more. Instead of putting those meet ups on the backburner because we are just “too busy,” we will be excited to go and spend time with our favorite people because we know exactly how it feels when we can’t just stop by their house to catch up and hang out. Hopefully and maybe most importantly of all, we will learn to pay a little more respect to the environment. We’ve all been mistreating this Earth for far too long. These days, those few moments spent outside in the fresh air and sunshine give me a sense of calm and more hope than anything else I do during the day. If we weren’t able to do that, I don’t know if I could keep my positive outlook intact at all so I’m finding myself more grateful for nature than ever before.

While we are all apart for now, I think in the future we can look forward to being more together than we ever have been. So, let’s all take this time to keep our families safe and maybe make some memories we might otherwise not have been able to make. Let’s continue to take it day by day but also look ahead to a brighter future when we can all be together again and truly appreciate one another. The day when this period of uncertainty is behind us will come soon enough and we will all be better for it when it does. Hang in there guys- we are stronger than we think and we are all in this together.

xoxo, Britney