The slow down came so fast. Ten days ago, we ended a fairly normal work week by going out for burgers to a local place, although the atmosphere already felt a bit frayed. This week much of our world has come to a standstill. We’re in lockdown, our work has slowed and shifted, and we’re working and studying from home until further notice – timeframe uncertain and unknown. Restaurants and bars, gyms, public events and places, and all non-essential businesses are closed. No place to go, no money to spend, no friends to visit. Customers don’t want to see us. Besides, most of them are working from home as well. Reaching one of them on his cellphone yesterday, he told us he was out walking his dog.
If you’re in healthcare, government or education, or working in any business considered essential, such as shipping, groceries or liquor stores, you’re of course super busy to permit everyone else to stay safe or sane. Thank you for that.
But for the rest of us, the world is all of a sudden hushed, like the big city during a snowstorm, when the sounds are muffled and nobody is out and about. Work and life have slowed, people seem kinder, a bit more understanding. We’re all in the same boat, and there is togetherness in that.
Usually we live such fast paced and frenetic lives, checking our phones round the clock lest we miss an important business related message for fear of not meeting someone’s equally impatient expectations. Now we have time to catch our breath, time to walk the dog in the middle of the day, time to ratchet the frenzy down a few notches, time for the kids, time to cook a meal, time to catch up on sleep, time to ……whatever.
During this lockdown, while homebound except for occasional grocery shopping or a few other unavoidable errands, my world has shrunk to my immediate surrounds, spending time with my nuclear family, tending to the garden or going for a walk to clear my head and gain perspective on this dystopian black swan event, or doing some homebound activities. The slow down gives me time to appreciate the simple things in life, those I brush off when life is fast, whether it’s the beauty of an emerging spring flower in the garden, my college age daughter’s unexpected presence and smile, the taste of the dinner I made, the kind and comforting phone call from a friend, or even the funny memes I find on social media that fill my life with some much needed lightness.
How has the lockdown affected your life? Consider looking back at earlier posts “the little things” and “what makes me happy” for a grounding perspective. May you be well and stay healthy!