Finding Normal

A Perspective on the New Order of Things

Jeanne Puglisi Hartig, RN

 

It has been many months since the COVID-19 pandemic literally jolted us out of our familiar everyday routines and launched us on unfamiliar roads for our work, home and social lives.  We have had to learn new ways for just about everything we do, which has been unsettling for many of us.  I recently had a discussion with a friend who was tired of waiting for things to “get back to normal.”  She had started to believe that things would never get back to the pre-pandemic normal. I think she’s right—we can’t go back to normal because what is “normal” changes throughout life. And that’s a good thing!

“You can never go home again,” is a sentiment I hear often from my 30-something year-old daughters and their friends.  I believe this is because as we grow and evolve throughout our lives, so does our “normal.”  From changing diapers, to carpooling middle schoolers, to having grandkids run through our homes, we open our hearts and minds to the things that come with life’s stages. These become the new order of things, the new normal in our lives.

Change is not always easy, and this is very true with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Right now, our normal includes telework, wearing masks, maintaining our distance, and adapting to new rules and recommendations to keep everyone safe. The new order of things has changed, but there is no need to “long” for normal to come.  It has been (and will continue to be) with us all along. Our challenge is to turn the discomfort into an opportunity for growth.