It’s natural to want to let down our guard and go back to normal, but there is nothing normal about Covid-19. There are reminders all around us that life isn’t normal and probably won’t be for the foreseeable future. This leaves many of us feeling discouraged, especially now that the seasons are changing, and the days are quickly drifting into darkness of crisp cold nights; it’s a reminder that winter is around the corner making this pandemic feel like it might never end. So many things have changed. Apple picking, leaf peeping, and date nights aren’t the same, but just because they aren’t the same doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy them. The things we love to do can still be done safely; I suggest they can be done with greater and deeper meaning. They can be done with a sense of gratitude that our loved ones are here with us, that in this moment we have each other, our health, and the relationships that make the ordinary special. But more than this, we can find meaningful purpose within the care and responsibility we have to each other as family, friends, community and as people sharing a life-supporting planet together. We have an opportunity to bring a purpose of altruism into our lives as we forge ahead into the long nights of winter so when the first spring flowers emerge from the cracks in the soil, we will have beat the darkest days of this pandemic. It won’t be easy. As a society, we are programmed to focus on what we lack rather than what we have in life. These moments we spend with family safely picking apples with masks on or having a date night with at home with takeout and tickets to watch one of our favorite authors on his virtual book tour stop are special. They are memories we are making now. It is the how and why within the moment that make them memories to treasure. The how we do it is safely; the why we do it is because we love those around us. We can grow our relationships during these challenging times and reestablish what it means to care for ourselves and each other.
Finding Purpose and Making the Best of an Ongoing Pandemic
