๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
Everybody is talking about the โnew normalโ as a result of the tumultuous change that has been forced upon us. The most appropriate question might be what was the โold normalโ anyway, and ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐?
One thing we know is that ๐๐ต๐ฒ โ๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐นโ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฎ๐น๐น-๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด โ I mean after all; it was normal wasnโt it?
We got up, revved our engines, climbed on the treadmill of life in search of success (as someone else had defined it for us) and like so many other faceless, lifeless entities went for it! Thoughtless, often mindless, expending our days in the chase โ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ until we rolled in sometime in the evening exhausted, hoping to recharge just enough to hit repeat the next morning, because somehow thatโs how success was defined, right? Weโd re-engage each morning ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ for family, spouses, friends, hobbies, fitness, freedom to think and reflect without the incessant demands of the โold normalโ. ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ weโd complain about having no time and wishing it could all be so different!!
Well, now it is โ it just is!
Iโm not intending to be insensitive to the tremendous tragedy and loss that the COVID crisis has unleashed upon us โ because ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ and very many have indeed suffered, tragically. ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐.
COVID has imposed a halt that we couldnโt achieve for ourselves, because the collective couldnโt / wouldnโt permit it. Iโve heard many refer to the COVID crisis as having brought all mankind to its knees. I know though, that weโve not been crippled in any way. In fact, in the midst of so much tragedy, weโve been afforded a ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ so as to choose differently, to choose more wisely.
Weโre ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ก๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ and discovering the amazing strengths and ingenuity of those who surround us. Weโre discovering that the material placebos that litter our homes are just that, and that ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฌ.
๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐โ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฌ!
Why did we not appreciate that ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฌ (๐ง๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ, ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ค ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐, ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ง ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐) ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฌ than the elite athletes and actors who often have more opinions about life than experience in life? Though we complained about it nobly, when did we ever step back โ making the unconscious conscious โ to really examine the consequences of our material existence, not only on our environment but even more importantly on our children and ourselves. So instead of railing against the โnew normalโ thatโs been foisted upon us โ ๐ฅ๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ when the virus subsides. Create, with clear intention, a list of the positive things that can be maintained when the โair clearsโ โ and remarkably it is clearing both figuratively and in reality. Plan to ๐ฌ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐.
The โGreat Pauseโ does indeed bring with it many blessings.
Donโt lose sight of those blessings when the starter pistol fires and you go in search of your treadmill!
๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ!
