Before I get into this, I want to say that we have written and rewritten this post multiple times trying to be as sensitive as possible to those around us who are actively suffering physically or emotionally. If you fall into one of those categories this post may not be for you. We are writing from the perspective of a quarantined, healthy, family.
Alright, let’s go.
Strangely Prepared
Well, depending on where you are, this is your fifth or sixth week in shelter-in-place/quarantine.
It’s a strange time, isn’t it? If you are like me, you lived through what felt like a strangely long January, and a light-speed February. 2020 already felt like a weird year, but none of us could quite put our finger on it. And then…
MARCH HAPPENED
Even if you were watching some of the coverage of the coronavirus stuff, it still seemed to hit us all at once, like a sucker punch. We went from “life as usual” to life in quarantine. Physical meetings and social gatherings to masked grocery store runs and Zoom hangouts.
Say what you will about quarantine — I think one thing is definitely true about it: it’s an impressive feat that Americans (mostly) willingly complied with stay at home orders to protect the weak and vulnerable in our society.
But that doesn’t change the fact that most of our lives are upended. The new “normal” is a world away from the old normal. As Elaine and I have discussed our new way of life, we keep coming back to the fact that we were strangely prepared to take this challenge on. That’s because of two things:
- Our lives were already (intentionally) upended once this year. We chose a new path — one that made financial sense on paper, but we had a hard time reconciling with our emotions and thoughts. That first week that I decided to leave my shiny new Dallas job, I went from euphoric highs to terrified lows. I don’t think there are as many highs during a global pandemic, to be sure. But I do think we were emotionally prepared to take on a life-changing challenge.
- The work required to keep the YOP going has prepared us. You know what the first thing I gave up back in September was? Haircuts at a fancy salon. You know what we stopped doing except on very rare occasions? Eating out. Mostly to save money — but we learned what was necessary and what was a luxury.
Join Us!
Before I go on, three disclaimers:
- I want to recognize that a global pandemic is unequivocally a bad thing. Thousands upon thousands are dying, millions of people are facing economic hardship and lost jobs, and we may have lost a lot of what we used to consider “normal life” forever.
- I also want to note that this has caused and is causing lots of unrest and anxiety for a lot of people. Trying to “better” your life during a global pandemic is a noble goal. But if trying and failing will only cause you to be more anxious — give yourself a break. The world is different and scary right now. Take care of yourself and your loved ones as best you can and sometimes that means watching TV all day in your pajamas.
- I am writing this post as a healthy person with a healthy family. I know life looks VERY different from state to state and family to family.
With those disclaimers out of the way, I want to invite you to look at your new life through a different lens. We are stuck here, regardless of whether we want to be or not. Even if the country starts to slowly open back up over the coming weeks/months, things will not automatically spring back to normal.
In the meantime, you have an opportunity to do lots of different things. Some small suggestions:
- Maybe you’ve always wished you knew your neighbors better. I’m guessing a lot of them feel scared or lonely just like you do. That sourdough you just started baking? Use gloves and a mask, and drop it on their doorstep with a friendly note. We’re all in new territory here.
- What are you kids up to right now? Struggling with homeschooling, probably (just like you and me and everyone else, believe me). Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to “do it all right.” You won’t, and can’t. Instead, set aside 15 minutes, 30 minutes, even an hour, and just do something together. Play a board game, watch a show with intention, take a walk around the neighborhood. Your kids will be less aggravating, and you’ll be less irritable — I promise.
- How are you doing spiritually or emotionally? Dealing with anxiety or loneliness often takes deep inner work. For some of you, that will look like praying. Maybe you could try to build a meditation practice (start with 2 or 4 minutes a day! — there are lots of apps out there). Personally, I have decided that every day I want to try to do one “spiritual” thing, one “intellectual” thing, and one “physical” thing. It’s a good way to mark off the days. It’s also a good way to take care of myself.
Hopefully, you’ll get a chance to go back to work soon, and avoid getting sick in the process. But when that day comes, consider the lessons that you can glean from being “stuck” with your family, “stuck” at home, “stuck” by yourself.
This situation sucks. A lot. So in the midst of the uncertainty, where so much is out of our control, what habits or patterns do you have the power to change? How can you take a small step today toward one of your goals? My hope for all of us is that we come out more appreciative of the simple things in life that we took for granted, more willing to let go of unnecessary luxuries, and more interested in the things that last.