Summer has come, and everyone's yearning to transition back to living Normally.
I, for one, am guilty of this, too.
Naturally, this is to be expected. We've lived for more than a year under strict distancing rules. Save for a handful of days, our lives revolve around the ever-so-familiar, mundane surrounding of our homes. Yet, if I had one realization that can sum up my experience living more than a year of routine predictability, it is that the concept of normality is more abstract than we think.
If we ponder about what defines Normal, we are led down a rabbit hole; and we come to a realization that Normal is simply what we know. If you were told all your life that words were numbers and vice versa, this would be Normal to you. Likewise, not too long ago we were living a fast-paced life. In a battle against the ticking clock, our minds were filled to the brim with mental checklists to fill every second of the day. Riding this wave of exhilaration was what we were used to. And, when Normal suddenly left in but an instant, we found ourselves stripped off our adrenaline high, stepping into the fearful and unknown.
Yet, a year after a separation from Normal, I've begun to reflect on the intricate process of change enveloping not only myself, but the people close to me as well. As weeks of quarantine slowly turned to months, our dependence on our daily doses of excitement and instant gratification slowly started to melt away.
I can’t help but marvel at all of us living this new Normal we couldn’t even imagine bearing a few weeks of. No longer besieged by the ever-present frenzies of everyday life, we are allowed to be more particular in the actions we take everyday day. And, somehow, in the midst of living in the unknown, little parts of us flourished. Relationships have become redefined and much more genuine. Some discovered what was worth focusing in their lives, while others were simply gifted stillness they didn’t know they needed.
As I slowly observe the intricate process of change embracing myself and the people close to me, a saying comes to mind: “In the eye of the storm we can see what we endure.” Amid the grief, hardship and losses the pandemic has brought on (which even I, personally experienced), we remain conscious of this silver lining so that we can continue to endure.
Our separation from Normal allowed us a unique understanding of ourselves, of others and of our surroundings - both surface level and much deeper. So, I find myself left with the question, what really is living Normally?
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