So, it’s finally time to actually consider re-entering the world. Talking to people in person, maybe even without masks! Perhaps you’ve been surrounded by family this whole time (maybe even a little TOO surrounded), or maybe you’re like me, and you live alone, and you haven’t seen another person’s exposed face up close and personal in a year. (I am pretending like the maskless a-holes in the world don’t exist, because I want to!)
You’ve probably given this some thought and wondered if you still remember how to person around other people. I know I have! Will I remember to not burp whenever I want? Will I be able to hold a conversation without just rambling endlessly because who knows how to just chat anymore? Will I only be able to talk about the pandemic or my vaccine side effects? Will I remember how to order inside a restaurant? And on and on.
There are so very many things to consider. When will you feel ready to give public transportation a try? Movie theaters? Music venues? Bars? Will you ask the dude on Tinder if he’s vaccinated before you meet him for coffee? What about sitting in your office all day? What if your boss is an anti-vaxxer? What if your doctor is? Or your spouse?
When will you feel safe again? And I mean truly, completely safe — meet up with a friend for lunch before heading over to the mall to try on some clothes, and then picking up dinner on the way home and snacking on the fries in the car without washing your hands.
When will everything feel normal?
I’m sorry to say it’s probably not any time soon. So many things are permanently gone. The restaurant down the street you love. The local shop you picked up gifts at. Handshakes and hugs. We lost more than half a million people in this country alone, and we didn’t have to. This country is a different place. We’re different. And some of us have different priorities now.
The pandemic forced a lot of people to look around themselves and see what was really going on. Some people realized how rarely they’ve been present. Some were able to take stock of what’s working and what isn’t in their lives. And some of us just stopped, plain and simple. Hopefully, rebuilding the world will include a rebranding of “normal,” and what that word means to each individual. Look at how much really good work was done at home by people highly invested in their careers AND their families. Workplaces don’t need centralized locations. They just need to be functional for the individual. And for the love of everything you value, build an agenda for your meeting and STICK TO IT. Your employees do NOT want to hang out with you because you’re bored.
It’s going to be a long journey back to regular life. Some will take more time than others. Show everyone grace and kindness. Show yourself grace and kindness! And when you have a chance to implement something you learned during this time, speak up! It’s unexpected to find you learned a happy lesson about yourself from the past year’s hellscape, but what part of any of this was expected? Do you want to work from home part of the week? Say so! You’ve proven you can. Do you need to skip a family dinner because you can’t with the drama? Do it! Now you know the world won’t end if you do. Did you learn you really enjoy making bread for the family, but you only have time to do so if you bail on Sunday brunch? This feels like an easy choice to me.
The pandemic left us traumatized and coping with that will take a while. If you can, though, take a moment to look at even the smallest things you now know you can do for yourself and do them. Insist on them. Find a way to show yourself a little love. Be there for your community, because they missed you, but also, be there for yourself.
Reclaim, rebuild, and rediscover the life you want moving forward. It’ll take courage and strength, but you know you’ve got that now.
Be well. Stay safe. Big hugs. I believe in us.
