The world around me seems to be crawling back to life. The once quiet neighborhood streets are bustling again with morning commuters. School busses line the roads as the children begin their fall education yet again. Even the air outside seems to blow in the wind with the feeling of new, and crisp life.
I can’t help but ask myself….In our quiet months at home, hidden from the outside world, did we miss the essence of life? Did we enjoy the introverted season of staying apart and seeking out silence a little too much? I did not. Life is best lived with fulfillment in my mind. Carpe diem! Let’s get this show on the road! I thrive on face-to-face interactions and the hustle and bustle of daily routines.
In the chaos that was the season I unaffectionately call “Corona” it became so easy to become detached from the outside world.
We watched the news and scrolled -through- feeds that told us what we thought was in our “best-interest” but when I step back, when I really look around at what was deemed “best”…the thing that was missing was always just around the corner.
Have we become too complacent? Have we gotten used to thinking only of ourselves, of our own families, and given ourselves the permission to not serve others because…Covid? Because…fear? (When did fear overtake family? When did it become ok for fear to override friendship?)
I must ask myself, what am I doing outside of “me.” Where have I drawn the line between what is best for my family and what is selfishly absorbing my time, my thoughts, my energy. What habits have been created that I must break? Have we created (even more) narcissism as we do what is best for our families, altogether forsaking the task of what we can do for others?
The last six-months have been confusing. They have forced us to be healthy in our own homes, to detach from society and polarize our (most-important) opinions. But was it for the greater good?
Let me challenge you this week: Go back out of your comfort zone. Find a way to reach out to someone you have lost touch with during this crazy year. Leave a care bag on their porch, a coffee, or a home-cooked meal. Send a handwritten letter to someone who might love to hear that you actually care.
The recent year has been a debacle of anger, of hurt and confusion and doubt. Covid has devised a crater between friends and family. Let’s re-focus on the corporate side of humanity now. Lean in to your community and create a pulse again. Only then will we begin to feel life the way that it was intended for us, whole, healing and happy.
“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
{Winnie the Pooh}
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