I was out for dinner with a friend last week at a spot we both love – a tiny beacon of good food and locally-sourced ingredients. We hadn’t been there since ‘B.P.’ (that rosy yesteryear, ‘Before Pandemic’).
It felt like a small miracle to be sitting at our regular table on a beautiful evening. Ordinary life is recent enough, at least where I live, to remain gob-smacked by the little wins.
The owner spotted us sipping on one of his signature cocktails, and the first words out of his mouth were “How was your pandemic”?
I couldn’t help erupting in laughter. He breezily carried on as if he hadn’t just delivered the most obscure, open-ended question of our age.
What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been
No matter who you are and where you spent the past two years, the absurdity of capturing the whole messy, mind-bending ride in one neat answer is laughable.
We’ve all been through an existential game of snakes and ladders – a little progress here, a dip there, a terrifying plunge back to ‘go’, a careful skipping forward once again.
If the virus miraculously disappears overnight, we’d still be left with a society that isn’t altogether sure what comes next, let alone one that has made any sense of what just happened. Every one of us has experienced highs and lows on this crazy roller coaster.
We each have a different version of the past two years, but it’s a fact we all jumped off a cliff into the unknown a very short while ago. We’re still trying to find our footing in this new landscape.
No wonder we’re a bit wobbly!
How Are You - Really
Despite the lighthearted tone of his question, it still had me thinking the next day.
How am I? Really??
Though I’ve remained stubbornly optimistic about where we’re headed, a long look in the mirror tells me I’ve gained ten pounds. My fashion sense has not yet returned (I need to impose a track pant ban, and fast). A few extra wrinkles have appeared. I’m no longer a blonde but sport my natural dark brown – a hair colour I hadn’t seen in thirty years.
This, of course, is only the window dressing.
The real changes are of the soul-searching variety. Questioning relationships that deplete me and seeking ones that fill my cup. Confronting whether I’m living with purpose (a big, scary question). Asking myself how I can give back.
Attempting to figure out the geography of where I want to be, with whom, and what to do with my life.
Acknowledging that the past two years may have been more difficult than I’d like to admit.
As you might imagine, it’s a work in progress. And judging from recent conversations across many walks of life, it’s an internal dialogue that many are grappling with.
Let’s Cut Ourselves Some Slack
Each of us has experienced disappointments, cancelled plans, and social isolation in the last few years – at the very least. The ripple effect is still settling, from the micro to the macro level.
Maybe it’s time to cut ourselves some slack. Practicing a little extra kindness and compassion, to ourselves and others, while we get our mojo back may be just what the doctor ordered.
Wearing a mask to feel comfortable? All good. Need some extra down time? Fine by me. Feel like you’re still working your way back to ‘normal’? Me too.
So, how was your pandemic?
HEATHER MARTIN
Heather is the founder of The Acorn, and the author of The Wheel of Wellness: Seven Habits of Healthy, Happy People. She’s a licensed naturopath and an unlicensed free thinker. She loves long rambles, far-flung travel, and the road less traveled.
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