During this transition from 2020 to 2021, hope abounds. Vaccines are being distributed, a new administration will take office, and life will open up. As we think about going “back to normal,” consider what you want your “new normal” to look like.
What have you cut from your life that has improved it? What have you added to your life that you may want to keep?
I learned that I don’t have to be in the classroom expending a ton of energy to be an effective teacher. To conserve my energy and have more time to write, I plan to continue teaching some asynchronous and hybrid university classes after the pandemic ends. And while my husband and I used to separately stop by the grocery store several times a week after work, we now better plan our meals and shop together once a week—something else I’d like to keep up. I also want to continue playing board games and cards with my sons when they're home from college; I'd forgotten how fun it is to yell "Yahtzee!"
As the Persian adage says, “This, too, shall pass,” and I’m thrilled to be past the year that was a living nightmare on so many fronts—socially, politically, medically, economically. At the same time, I urge you to reflect on whether any part of 2020 served you.
Sunday Journal Prompt
What lessons—big and small—have you learned from the pandemic that you can carry into the future?
