Lessons in the Time of Pandemia

Always the (reluctant) optimist, I try my best to find the silver linings in midst of otherwise incomprehensible circumstances – though, admittedly, it’s not always easy. Just a few days into what has now become an unprecedented eight-weeks-and-counting quarantine, I found myself thinking about all of the fears, insecurities, vulnerabilities, you-name-it… that this pandemic has revealed. There, in black in and tired handwriting, amid random thoughts, questions and encouraging phrases scribbled in my journal, I suddenly became aware of the lessons. Turns out every situation has a learning, if we pay attention. As I wrote, I discovered just how poignant these lessons have been during this unprecedented time – lessons I hope transcend the present situation and help serve as reminders for many years to come.

May this time teach us something. That is my hope…

. . .

We all crave connection.
While I’m the first to opt for a Saturday night in after a long week, I have never longed more strongly for a socially packed weekend. It’s in our human nature to gather, even if for a few moments, to share conversation and laughter and bask in the company of our pack. So, needless to say, being told we can’t get together has palpably heightened the missing of our people. But the lesson here isn’t about how much we miss our friends (of course we miss our friends), it’s about how much we miss connecting in-person with people in general. In an ironic turn for the ages, it’s technology (hello, Zoom!) that’s bringing us together in more meaningful ways than ever before. Today, “let’s talk” actually means let’s talk. “Let’s catch up soon” means let’s actually set up a date and time for a conversation. “Checking in” includes care packages and snail mail “just because.” Seemingly, a text just won’t do anymore. Our conversations are intentional, free of distractions and focused on things that matter. In social distancing, we have been reminded not just how much we enjoy/want/need one another but also managed to be more connected, more often. Isn’t that something worth thinking about?

The simple things are often the most joyful.
Toilet paper… need I really say more? Ultimately, when our world as we know it comes to a halt, it’s the otherwise mundane that becomes luxurious. It’s the little things that now seem to matter a lot. We’re paying more attention to how much we consume and have been made aware of how much we can surely do without. Simplify! has been an undeclared mandate of this pandemic – simplify your to-do list and your grocery list; simplify your schedule (turns out, that meeting could’ve been an email); simplify your news feed... We’re paying more attention to the simplicity of a hello, of a neighborhood walk, of an aimless drive through town, of moving our bodies, of taking a deep breath. Turns out that when we actually clear the space to see it, there’s a vast amount of joy to be found in simplicity.

There is tremendous freedom in relinquishing control.
Giving up control of this situation (a pandemic, for goodness’ sakes!) is hard, to put it lightly. Yet, as the weeks have gone by, as we have parted ways with the confines of our former “normal,” shaken up our routines, lengthened our days, shortened our drive time and shrunken our personal space, we have been seemingly freed. In accepting – whether willingly or not – that we’re not in control, we have gotten creative. Like, so creative! Just take a passive scroll through your Instagram feed, and you’ll find virtual pursuits of every kind – concerts, trivia games, puzzles, arts-and-crafts, friends-and-family happy hours, social-distancing-approved weddings, hilarious Zoom backgrounds… the list goes on. How is it that in the midst of a global crisis, we’ve all actually become more playful? Perhaps we’re learning that when we give ourselves the freedom to let go, we can creatively and more cheerfully cope with anything.

We are all the same.
Many are calling this pandemic “The Great Equalizer” – gender, creed, race, affiliations aside, it has affected us all. In the face of this virus, we’re all the same, and we’re all dealing with it together. But haven’t we always been “in this” together? Shouldn’t we have always looked at our neighbor as an equal – gender, creed, race, affiliations aside? Today, our attention has been turned to the most vulnerable members of our community, to our health practitioners, grocery stockers and restaurant workers – and deservingly so. We’re all more painstakingly aware of what goes into keeping others safe and healthy, of what it takes to keep supermarkets stocked and sanitized, of just how many people over the age of 65 we know, of how much we love a locally (and lovingly) prepared meal, of how many homeless people’s faces we have actually gotten to expect seeing just down the road. This focus on “essential” and “vulnerable” people is well deserved during this time, and I’m genuinely moved by the myriad ways in which we’re all rallying to support them. But reflecting on this also makes me quite sad. These people have been part of our communities all along, and most notably, they’ve been there quietly and – to many of us – practically invisibly. While it’s true that it often takes the worst to bring out our best, I hope that this seemingly newfound awareness is here to stay.