The View From Here – Getting Used To This New Normal

Anybody else getting comfortable with this “new normal”?  Because I am. If that’s even possible.

Bad hair.  Wearing my workout outfit to work.  Being home.  Not spending any money on stuff I don’t need.  This situation has made me realize how wasteful I can be with my money.

We’re at a point now, where we’ve been doing this long enough, it’s becoming “normal”.  We’re getting used to standing six feet apart at the grocery store.  Nodding, or smiling to those we pass at a distance on the sidewalk.  We’re getting used to curbside pickup and delivery.

The fear, the sadness, the frustration.  We’ve felt it all.

Now we are just here.  Waiting it out.  Doing our part.  We are finding new and creative ways to connect.  Maybe less Facebook and more visiting from a distance at the end of a driveway.

Somedays I feel ok.  Other days I have moments where I can’t focus on anything and just want this to be over.

At first, working from home, staying home – wasn’t bad.   It was almost like being on vacation.

Sleeping in.  Feeling rested – despite the circumstances.  I enjoyed the freedom of working from home.  Staying in comfy clothes.  No makeup.  Coffee as much as I wanted.

Those first weeks at home was a break we didn’t know we needed.

We went back to old recipes, feel good recipes.  We went back to simpler days.  Jigsaw puzzles took our weekend afternoons.  We went for bike rides.  We enjoyed the sound of the birds singing as we sipped our morning coffee. Family dinners were back.  We talked more.

Instead of spending time separated by our phones to distract us, we were spending more time together.  Connecting in a bigger way.  We were intentional with our time.  We cleaned and organized.  We looked at the “stuff” in our homes and wondered why we had it.

We started to realize what mattered.  WHO mattered.

It wasn’t celebrities.  Or professional athletes.

It was our family and friends.  It was those on the front lines.

We realized how valuable those health care workers were yes – but suddenly we realized how valuable those working at the grocery stores were .  We had a new appreciation for those people still going to work.  Behind the cash, or the wheel of a transport truck.  Farmers.  Delivery drivers.  Mail carriers. Too many people to mention.

As the weeks went on it got a bit more challenging.

We weren’t thinking about “stuff”.  We just wanted to be allowed to see our family and friends again.

Dealing with bad hair.  People doing their own cuts.

My hair is growing out and most days I throw it in a ponytail and pretend it’s not out of control.

My eyebrows are patchy.  It’s not pretty.

My days of wearing makeup or “fixing my face” are few and far between – and I don’t miss it.

Somedays I feel accomplished.  Somedays I don’t even remember if I brushed my teeth. Somedays I’m  productive.  Somedays I have to ask Alexa what day it is.

It’s an amazing time for self reflection.  I listened to Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations podcast – she talks to a doctor that says it’s forced us to sit still and slow down.

And despite all the sadness out there – the loss of lives, jobs and so much more – THAT is a positive thing to come out of this.

I’ve come to realize I really don’t have that busy of a social life. I don’t mind the staying home and I don’t mind the quiet.

I’ve realized that some people I expected to hear from or stay in touch with – have been silent. Distant.

I’ve realized I have said no to too many people and events.  And I would gladly say yes to anything with my friends right now. No more hiding behind excuses. #toobusy

I’m wondering if I will even remember how to be with people?  I say that with a laugh.  But I’m a shy person.  I have had to fight that all my life and working in radio, I had to work hard to break that.  I feel myself going back to those shy ways.

Anybody else hoping that we keep some of this “new normal”?

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan