New normal

I hear people say they are looking forward to things returning to normal after the pandemic is over. Me too. I wonder, though, if things won’t so much go back to normal as we will enter into a “new normal.” Sort of like after 9/11 – you can still fly, but new security protocols have changed your experience in the airport and on the plane.

Here’s my wish list for what I hope part of the “new normal” will be like after COVID-19 is over.

In the “new normal” we no longer take our ability to gather with others for granted. Or, put positively, we are more grateful for opportunities to spend time together with other people. Handshakes, high fives, and hugs mean a bit more than they did before. We’re more intentional about deepening friendships and connecting with the neighbor up the street we’ve never met. Gathering weekly with others for worship, fellowship, and growing in faith is a higher priority.

In the “new normal” we better manage our schedules. We continue having meals together as a family and spend less time racing around from one event to another. There’s time in our day to check in on the family who just had a baby or the acquaintance who is homebound. We take seriously our need to rest body and mind on a regular basis, choosing to do so ourselves before having a pandemic force it upon us again.

In the “new normal” we are quicker to say Thank You. Some of us can work from home. Some of us are doing a decent job of keeping our kids on task with their online schoolwork. Others of us, though, have no choice but to work at the hospital or the grocery store, to continue manufacturing or driving truck. And some of us are receiving abundant confirmation that we’re not cut out to be teachers. So we begin to intentionally express gratitude to hospital staff, store cashiers, shop workers, truck drivers, teachers, aides, principals, and anyone else who serves us and our community.

In the “new normal” our eyes and hearts are open wider to God’s provision and grace. We’re quicker to talk to him just because he loves to hear from us and we love to be in his presence. We continue prioritizing prayer instead of waiting to pick up the conversation with God until the next crisis hits.

What are you going to do or prioritize differently in the post-COVID-19 “new normal?”

This column appears in this week’s Rock Valley Bee.
You can purchase the greeting card pictured above
at emilymcdowell.com.
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