Hard and Soft

Things have been so strange these past few months. There is a sense of hurry up and do nothing. Or worry about the unthinkable. I think that what has become glaringly obvious is that we all were really set in our ways. Most of us like to think that we are adaptable, and we absolutely are, but our adaptability comes with some serious growing pains. 

Learning how to live in a place of uncertainty is scary. Nobody likes to feel unsafe. We like to think that routine is boring, but I think that in these COVID times we have really learned how important routine is to our wellbeing. I am not talking about how we structure our days, but rather how we structure our world.

For instance when The Great Toilet Paper Panic of 2020 first began we were all faced with our own limitations. Not so much in places with the good sense to use bidets, but here in America. Look, I am living in the desert. I can’t just use some leaves. We’ve got cactus. Toilet paper seems pretty important. While we were not TP hoarders (Shame on them. Shame.) it was sure unsettling to realize that the simple fact that toilet paper would always be there for us was not actually a fact. 

Now we are on to a new phase. I don’t worry about toilet paper. I worry more about the big picture, the thing that we are all afraid to really look at. Do we want to go back to how it was? Do we want to start something a little different?

I am eager to see friends and family and to travel, but I am also interested in a slower pace with more time for family and walks. I am more interested in being a smidge more prepared in the event that something like this happens again.

I definitely feel strange in these times, but I also feel hopeful.