This is the last week of a full year of social distancing and all that comes with it. Most of us are ready to finish this disruptive chapter and return to the activities we love. Yet, I imagine there will come of a time in the future when we will wax nostalgic for this time.
Perhaps we’ll appreciate the safety of wearing masks, not just to protect ourselves from Covid-19, but because we had less colds or cases of influenza. We will yearn for a ready-made excuse for plans we prefer not to attend. We will crave long walks in the middle of the day. We will appreciate the rare times when family members in the house laughed together at silly moments. We will hunger for communion with nature on a regular basis. We will long for a simpler time, like we’ve been experiencing now.
We all discovered, had we not known before, the public value of toilet paper, the comfort of everyday yoga pants, the ease of simply staying in. We found comfort in our surroundings. The delight of first blooms. The joy of open spaces, a river view. And we found solace in the small wins. In losing so much in the span of this pandemic year, we gained a deep appreciation that less is more. We’ll see how this plays out in the coming months. And it will be interesting to see when we become sentimental for the lessons learned in the time of Coronavirus.
Self-Care Tips:
- Ask yourself, “Is there anything I need?” Answer as honestly as you can. You may discover there are needs not addressed. Or you may find that you are taking care of yourself better œthan expected. Whatever the answer, checking in with yourself is a reminder of your importance.
- Think of a situation in which being right became the be all and end all. If possible, see if you can shift to compassion and apologize for not appreciating the other’s perspective.
- Note an insecurity of yours. Now see if there is an upside for something that feels bad to you. I.e., I used to cry a lot and thought I was too sensitive, now I use my sensitivity to appreciate music, joy, and empathy.
- Choose an item at home that elicits a specific memory. See if you can remember the experience, then assess if you might feel freer should you be able to discard or give away that item.
- Enjoy a soundtrack from a beloved film of the past. It will envelop you in euphony and nostalgia.
I ran my first race in over a year. It was slow process, both recovering from benign injuries, as well as running 15-minute miles this morning. In the past months I went through acupuncture, medical massage and physical therapy putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. So, tentatively, step by step I took on Central Park’s Drive.
When I was 10 years old I was allowed to walk on Haddonfield-Berlin Road, crossing highways entrances and exits to go to The Woodcrest Shopping Center. For a short time they had The Jerry Lewis Movie Theater, and I could get in for 50 cents, the amount of my allowances after chores. Or, I would go to W.T. Grant’s, deemed a twenty-five cent department store, but more of a five and dime. that sold colorful birds, toys, clothes, plastic jewelry, and featured a lunch counter. I was much too shy to go to the counter alone. But I loved getting lost in the aisles ending up with some sort of sweet. There was also Crest Lanes where I could bowl. I loved the crack of the pins being hit, and the overhead light of the score pad. In the other direction I would walk to The Haddontown Swim Club. It was lovely after a hot August walk to reach the pool and jump in to the cold splash of wet relief. These were some of my first destination walks.
janetzinn 