Reopening With Intention
“Most days, I feel like I’m drinking from a fire hose.” Today I cringe when I think how often I used to say these words in response to someone asking me how things were going.
I was unaware, back before Covid, of much I was idealizing busyness. Hurrying from one thing to another, I failed to realize how unable I was to be fully present and attentive to what I was doing.
I say, “used to,” because since the pandemic hit a little over a year ago, I am no longer drinking from that proverbial firehose. I joke that it took a pandemic to get me to slow down enough to wake up to how much I needed to change. As I write this, I realize that I am privileged to have work that has allowed me to work at home and readjust my pace this last year. I am well aware that many essential workers, and those unable to work from home, have had the opposite experience. My respect and gratitude for them are immense.
As our worlds begin to emerge from the depths of the pandemic, we all will have choices to make about what parts of our pre-pandemic lives and routines we wish to re-establish. Last April, I shared a quote that still speaks to me, “In a rush to return to normal, may we use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth going back to” (David Hollis).
As states, communities, businesses, and other organizations announce their reopening plans, it is wise for us to remember that when it comes to our personal wellness, we will also benefit from being thoughtful about thinking through our individual reopening plans. In what ways do we want our lives to look like they were, and in what ways do we want them to look different? While there are many consequences of the pandemic that we can’t wait to have behind us, there may be new routines that we have established this past year that we want to maintain. For example, I have cooked more healthy meals at home in the last year than in the previous ten, and that is something I am committed to continuing.
In the wellness coaching I do with individuals, I often start with some version of the question, “What do you want more of in your life, and what do you want less of?” If you are like me, the pandemic has provided an extra-long pause to reflect on that question. And now, as we begin to reopen our lives slowly, we will have many opportunities to answer that question in the choices we make.
One thing I know for sure is that I will continue to enjoy drinking both water and life from a cup rather than from a firehose.
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