Re-entry

As COVID-19 Omicron numbers drop, it seems like everyone is anxious to return to “normal life,” whatever that is. And more than a few of us are feeling uncertain about how comfortable we feel about that.

Re-Entry

I’ve decided to take my re-entry slowly and cautiously, adding in a few activities that I really miss while at the same time continuing precautions like wearing a mask in indoor public spaces. One of the things that I’m being mindful of is how some of the changes the pandemic brought into my life are changes that I value, like scheduling fewer outings and spending more time walking out in nature. Those changes I want to continue.

Though wearing a mask at first felt very constricting and limiting I’ve noticed that I haven’t had any severe colds or other nasty illnesses since I began wearing a mask while shopping. Now that I have some well-fitting masks that are comfortable to wear I may continue to wear a mask in stores and other crowded indoor spaces, at least during the cold months of the year.

Looking forward to…

I’m looking forward to resuming our monthly family game days which we paused with the Omicron surge early this year. And I plan to get together one on one with a few friends more often than I used to. I’d like to nourish and grow my connections with friends old and new.

Soon I’d like to visit the Como Conservatory to bask in it’s jungle like humidity and take in its sights and scents. And I’m looking forward to taking some short trips to the North Shore when the weather warms.

But I’m not yet ready to go on a long trip, board an airplane for a trip, or spend time unmasked in public places. In fact I’m not ready to even plan such a trip, much as I would like to travel again.

I tell myself, “Permission granted to go as slowly as I need.”

Calculated Risks

Life is a risky business. Every time I get in my car and drive somewhere there is a statistical risk of my becoming involved in a car accident. I could trip and fall on my hikes in the woods. The truth is that things happen, often unexpectedly. But that doesn’t keep us from living full lives. COVID-19 is becoming another risk that we face but perhaps no greater a risk than many other risks we face daily in our normal lives.

I’m ready to expand my world again beyond the four walls of my home, walks in the neighborhood and short trips to the grocery store.

Beyond Survival to Flourishing

We are not meant to just simply survive. Instead I believe we are meant to thrive, and that means doing things that we love, savoring life, pursuing activities that feed us, and connecting with and helping others. If you read this blog regularly you’ve heard me talk about my keys to flourishing:

• Choose joy
• Be grateful
• Feel wonder
• Create something
• Let go of judgment
• Spend time in nature
• Reach out and connect with others

That’s it. Now let’s see if I can follow my own advice and move towards a fuller flourishing in my life outside the boundaries of my home.

My wish for you is that you also discover ways to flourish in your life today and always. Be gentle with yourself during this re-entry time and gentle with others who are making different choices from the choices you make. We’re all journeying through life doing the best that we can.

May you walk in beauty.

Note: I made the photos in today’s post in 2010 and 2011 but I re-edited them today. In some ways they feel like new images. It was mid-twenty-ten when I got my first DSLR camera and took my first photography workshop.