For most of us, our new normal amid the pandemic is adapting to a constant sense of uncertainty. At the same time, we’re faced with more time at home than ever before. And while this time may have been something we prayed for once, now that it’s here, you’re asking yourself, “now what?”

I’ll tell you now what!

Embrace your new normal…for now

You have a tremendous opportunity. Take some time to think and BE. Embrace the gift of time.

Carol Burnett sang, “I’m so glad we’ve had this time together, just to have a laugh or sing a song…seems we just get started and before you know it, comes the time we have to say ‘so long…’”

You’re not saying “so long” to your “hibernation” partners yet… but the time is moving along. Sure, in some ways early 2019 feels like a lifetime ago, but doesn’t it also feel like just yesterday?

What have you learned about yourself during this time? What have you learned about your partners in “isolation”?

Have you ever gone on a retreat or a trip and returned to discover that while you were gone, you went a radical transformation, but when you returned, everything at home was as you left it? The people, the places, the things? Were they all the same? And you felt somehow out of place because you were no longer the same?

Is that how it’s going to be after this transformation? Will you come out of your homes and apartments and go back to your old routines….like nothing has changed? It was just a blip in the stock market, and everything’s gonna be alright?

The not so new normal

Is that what you want out of this time of hibernation? A return to the status quo.

What are the lessons you’re learning? Seriously.

(One: always keep a backstock of toilet paper. Two: these Hibernation 15 are a lot harder to lose than the freshman 30…).

We went for a walk down by Sebastiani Winery recently. We kept our social distance… except for the dogs who didn’t read the rules.

People were SO CHEERFUL!

Greeting us with big smiles, asking how we were doing…and listened as we answered. Like they were interested, and it was not a social nicety.

I remember at the beginning of the pandemic, a FedEx man came up to deliver a package. I ran and got my gloves before I went out, but I greeted him with great exuberance. He asked how we were doing up here on the mountain.

He asked if we needed toilet paper…

For some reason (anyone who knows me will know this is true) out of my mouth came, “Well, we ran out, so we’re using scrunched up binder paper, but we have tons of that, so we’re ok.”

(Seriously, how often do people inquire about your supply of toilet paper? It’s the question of the pandemic!)

The FedEx man, Mark, “OH, I have some individually wrapped rolls… I’ll get you some!”

So kind! So lovely! I immediately told him I was only kidding; we were fine in the TP department.

He told me he had an incident when he was delivering some medicine to an old lady on his route. After he rang the bell, she peeped out her head and asked if he was delivering the toilet paper. He said, “no, here’s your package.” She looked crestfallen. He asked if she needed toilet paper. She said she could probably last another day.

FedEx Man Mark went and got some TP and returned to her house. When he reappeared on her doorstep, and he told her he got her the TP, she cried.

Now Mark always carries spare rolls of TP in case anyone else on his route is desperate. That’s his new normal.

How is that for service in the age of social distancing?

So Mark has changed in that he’s serving his route differently. He’s checking in on people and making sure they are ok and asking if they need anything since he’ll be going around anyway.

What’s different now?

I know what you’re thinking: EVERYTHING is different now. But let’s look beside the obvious.

What’s different now is that when we SEE people, we SEE them. It’s exciting because between these four walls we’re not seeing a lot of people. We’re hungry for community, for connection, for conversation. We’re hungry to be seen. We’re hungry to see new faces.

This time could be a time of transformation for you and me as individuals, for our communities, for our nation. To move beyond spending all our time staring at screens. Instead, you can look up and connect with the people around you, see the people in your community, build real connections with real people.

We are seeing pictures of things we haven’t seen before: the Golden Gate bridge with no one else on it. Empty shelves in the grocery store. I needed some yeast, but I guess I wasn’t the first person to get that idea since there was no yeast in the store… or flour for that matter… not to mention the absence of toilet paper (I don’t know where Mark got his because at that point, I hadn’t seen any for weeks!).

You’re going to be different. But HOW will you be different? What kind of “different” do you want to be? The old ways are passé.

Your new normal might also include feeling like the days all melt together. If that’s you, read this next.

What’s NEW about you?

Maybe your new normal is cooking more healthy meals.

Maybe you’re reading more books.

Or maybe you’re calling your mom more.

Whatever it is, make sure you’re moving in the direction you want to go.

Notice the changes around you. What do you want to keep, and what do you want to change?

Need a little motivation? Watch this.

What I’m enjoying is this gift of more time with my kids. They have been so wonderful. I’m so fortunate to have them here with me. Just listening to them carry on with each other has added great joy to my days.

I want to make sure you have a chance for some reflection on what this all means for you and how your life will change because of this…

(…like will there be some strange bump in the birth rate after the pandemic?)

Alright… enough of this… if you’re feeling blue from being caged up, watch some funny TV or read an entertaining book or something.

MOVE YOUR BODY. Join The Bar Method online at the San Mateo branch.

OR, if you are ready to go deep, then join my friend Melanie for her 4-week online course, Revisioning You, which helps to ground you in your fundamentals. Here’s the link for details.

Whatever you decide to do, remember to have some fun along the way.

Yesterday I watched about 15 little birds flit around in our birdbath. They were hysterical! A Roman-style bath for birds in my yard!

Find your joy in your new normal.

Alicia

Did you like reading about what to do with your new normal? Take a look at these other posts too:

How to Easily Change Your World View
Fly the Plane Before It’s Ready
Speaking Up in Church: What’s Stopping You?