When will everything get back to normal?
The question on many people’s minds right now is when will we get back to our lives. This is no easy question to answer and no answer will be easy to accept because we do not know.
Now the image you see above is one you probably recognize. It’s been used so many times because of its almost ominous look. It puts a face to an enemy that has caused us so much harm. It’s not only natural to blame this virus, it’s important because we know the true cause of this crisis.
Viruses are our friends, enemies, and many times, neither. Most of them don’t do much and so we don’t pay much attention to them. The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-Cov-2 is an exception. Since day one of the pandemic, this virus has dominated our lives. It is an exceptional thing that such a small little particle can bring such a complex society to its knees.
Before I get going…
I want to say that this article isn’t going to give you a straight answer, but it will help give you a path forward. I’m not going to use fancy models to predict the pandemic’s timeline, but I am going to give you a reason to still keep going.
What is normal?
When we look into normality, what we’re really looking into are the expectations set by society. Normality is not an objective idea, it’s something that we decide as a culture. For example, normal clothes usually consist of undergarments, a shirt, pants, and some extra stuff that’s also considered normal. If you were to walk onto the streets without any undergarments and pants, you’d probably be considered abnormal.
In other words, normal is what we decide it to be. That’s what brings us to the next point…
Sooo, can we have normal again?
Yes, but there’s a catch. When society adjusts to changes, they redefine their sense of normal and so “normal” was never really what it was before. We’ve probably all heard the term “new normal”, and that’s what we’re experiencing.
BEFORE YOU RUN OFF! There’s something to this that while seemingly scary and not exactly what you want, is actually not as bad as you think.
Normal in your eyes.
This brings us to something that’s super important in these big shifts of what’s normal or not, your idea of normal. You have the power to make the best of what the new normal is.
While yes, I hate the fact that we all have to adjust to this big change, but we have to remember that this is the flow of life. The biggest challenge isn’t that we have a new normal, it’s the fact that we’re holding on so desperately to the past normal. Instead of waiting for the old normal to come, wait instead for yourself to adjust to this change. The hardest part of change is adjusting, and usually it’s pretty smooth sailing after that.
For all those out there who are discouraged about this…
There are still some old things we get to keep. In the course of humanity, many things come and go as we go through these shifts, but some just stay the same. Since the dawn of man, we were made for things that are simply part of who we are.
Here is what we’ll keep for certain:
- People, humans are social creatures and while we’re not seeing people now, you will see them in some time.
- The state of being not in a pandemic. This one will go away, it’s just a matter of when.
- Community, we’ll come together again, it’s just going to take a little while.
Here are some things that are going to change:
- COVID-19 will stay with us for a long time, but it won’t haunt us like it does today
- Mobile ordering, which might actually be considered a plus
- Tele-health, in certain circumstances
BUT WHEN!!!!
This is often something we get caught up in. It’s totally normal and okay to feel like you want to know the exact time and date.
A person I respect once said that there is a countdown of our suffering, and it will always hit zero. You are guaranteed 100% all the time that your suffering will end. Just know that there is a countdown, and it’s counting to the very second your suffering ends.
Just give this time, and someday you’ll be able to benefit from such a long and painful wait.
Luke Roszmann, January 17, 2022
CommonPress
