I Hope We Never Go Back
Photo Credit: Terri Corbett
And honestly, I hope we never go back.
I hope we never go back to forgetting just how vital our first responders and medical community are.
No matter how you feel about the necessity of certain medications, vaccines, or practices, we have seen these incredible people putting their own lives as second priority in a spotlight they've never before been given. Modern medicine has become a crutch, and those in the field have moved into something we barely give second thought to, let alone take time to appreciate and even more, actually thank. We as a society have taken for granted just how much we need and depend on them for so many things, and I hope we never forget what we've learned.
I hope we never go back to assuming "our way" is the "best way" in regards to education.
A tale as old as time, the which-method-is-best argument, public vs. private. vs. homeschool. Everyone maintaining that the rest should jump on board with them, so many refusing to allow that it is not a once-size-fits-all scenario. I hope homeschool families recognize that that really isn't a very viable option for all families - whether due to work, learning style, home structure, or whatever, not everyone can just jump in and do it, even if they desperately want to. I hope that public school families recognize that homeschooling doesn't necessarily mean sleeping in till noon, watching tv, and maybe getting around to a page of math at some point - it's hard, it's time consuming, and it's not for the faint of heart. I also hope that as a whole, we parents realize that our children can adapt, and thrive, when allowed an opportunity to, no matter what the setting. I hope we never go back to focusing on judgement of other's situations, and continue to focus on our own children's needs, capabilities, and health when it comes to education.
I hope we never go back to taking our immediate family for granted.
In a world where, for example, a five member household is essentially going five different directions, 90% of the time, this has been a crazy wake-up call as to who the people are that we live with. A lot of people are getting to know their immediate family members in a good, old fashioned way. Families are learning to work together on home projects, yard projects, and skills like building, cooking, and sewing. In a lot of ways, we have been forced to reset back to a time where this was the normal way of life. And I do realize that not everyone fits into this box, but enough of us do that it is something worth holding on to. We have an opportunity to change the culture around us for good - to bring back what matters in the home, to raise our children to prioritize properly, and send them into the world armed with quite an artillery of practical skills. This is a gift.
Beyond that, I hope we never go back to taking our extended family for granted. Not getting to see one's parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so on, in such a dramatic way, has been awful. I hope we never forget the feeling of longing to see, hug, laugh with, sup with, spend time in general with. There is such a healing on a deep, emotional level that can be derived from this kind of quality time, and as we slowly go back to it, I hope we stop and appreciate it with new eyes and a thankful heart.
I hope we never go back to taking for granted the importance of a place of worship.
Church, temple, mosque, chapel, whatever you call them, there has been a great realization of the need for them. Having a physical place that represents security, spiritual and emotional support and health, and a like-minded community, as it turns, out, is vital. Essential. Something that cannot in its entirety be replaced by infinite Zoom meetings, no matter how hard one tries. Even with their flaws, I hope that, as they open up, we embrace and attend and serve within them with a new gratefulness like never before.
I hope we never go back to forgetting the healing power of a hug.
I know physical touch is not necessarily everyone's love language - it's not even one of my own. But there is just. so. much. power. in. a. hug. Friends, family, it doesn't matter, there is just so much deep-rooted joy and feeling of warmth, love, and security that can come from a hug, and it is not something that should be taken for granted.
I hope we never go back to not saying thank you.
Whether it is the postal carrier, grocery workers, food industry servers, or even the garbage man. While so many were forced to pause or give up their way of living due to quarantine, sickness, and beyond, not only did they not stop working, most of them tried to adjust to all of the new restrictions and guidelines with a reassuring smile on their {masked} faces and took more than their fair share of heat from the general population as a result. A lot of society has learned and practiced the art of stopping to say thank you, we appreciate you, you are giving our lives a sense of normalcy that we cannot get anywhere else - this deep-seated appreciation needs to remain, even and especially as we move forward.
I hope we never go back to being too busy living to live.
Between work, school, sports, activities, church, vacations, and so forth, as a general society we had practically scheduled out the possibility of breathing. It's no wonder there is so much struggle in the mental and emotional health fields, we have gotten too busy to stop and recognize when we are starting to turn down those dark paths, until it feels like it's too late. Myself included. Having a universal "pause" button pushed might have been the single greatest gift we could have been given in this area, like it or not. Yes, cancelling everything did not come without its own set of problems, but it did come with some room to breathe. Think. Focus. Eliminate the unnecessary. And I hope that as we move forward, we never again schedule ourselves to the point of breakdown, and remember the sweetness of having time.
I hope we never go back to letting the media dictate society.
For far too long, we the people have allowed media to impress upon us what to think, how to feel, how to react, what and who to believe, and the list just goes on. I think that in our personal search for the truth during this crazy time, we have remembered how to do our own hunting down of facts, how to think for ourselves, and how to make our decisions based on those findings, rather than the latest article we read or video clip we watched. I realize this doesn't apply to everyone. But there will always be those that find comfort in letting others decide for them. The only thing we can do is to strengthen our resolve to search out and fight for actual truth, and teach our children to follow suit, and give grace to others, whether or not they're doing the same.
Which brings me to my final point.
I hope we never go back to a world that is seemingly without understanding, grace, and kindness.
Not that we have a perfect world full of this right now, because we definitely do not, however, I think as a worldwide society we have had an opportunity to embrace the little things - the goodness in this world, the small, often-missed beauty in the simple things, the joy derived from "committing" random acts of kindness, and the tears of joy that spring up from the well of our soul when we are on the receiving end of those deeds. The world needs more kindness. It needs more compassion. It needs more love. We have seen a universal reviving of these things, and as we move forward, I hope those ripples stay in effect.
Be kind. Be grateful. Move forward in the newness. Keep your revised priorities and remember what is and isn't vital to the physical, emotional, and mental health of yourself and those you love dearly.
And never go back.
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment