Things are beginning to open. Restaurants are beginning to serve and stores are starting to sell. Life is beginning to move closer to the way it used to be.
And with it, the mandatory lists of things that have to be done will get filled to the brim again. The pick-ups, the drop-offs, the practices, the “I need to work late,” the “I have this work thing,” the “we should at least make an appearance,” the expectations, and the the everything.
We will once again be pushed and pulled over our priorities.
Soon we will be grumbling about traffic and what to make for dinner and how we never have time for anything anymore.
We are, with good reason, focused on what we are missing and what we want to do. It’s understandable. We have been in hibernation for almost two months and we miss so much of what had been big parts of our lives.
We are getting closer and with it will return the hustle and rush that had been a part of so many of our lives.
Until then, reflect on what has been gained in this moment. More time together with loved ones? More meals together? Time to read? An appreciation for the pleasures of life?
We can leave this time with new understandings and priorities or we can just let momentum carry us back to what was and how we were. We can choose to reflect on the good of this time or we try to forget, only to be reminded by the tower of toilet paper in the garage and the smell of hand sanitizer in the air.
All we ever truly have is the moment we are in. The time that came before is gone and the time to come isn’t promised.
But we do have now. Pause. Take a deep breath. Smile. Be grateful. Enjoy it.