Today had some sun, some cloud and some rain -- sort of a mixed bag. That theme spread into my activities. Technology didn't work a it should have during a virtual guest lecture where the slides did not advance as they should have. Everything went well, though. The information was delivered, though without the planned interactions between the virtual speaker and students attending virtually and in a classroom on campus. The topic dealt with understanding the negative societal attitude towards older adults -- ageism -- something we can all advocate to change.
The experience today had me thinking of the thinking patterns that have settled in during the pandemic. Hope has been hiding as the short term turned into a long term shut down, which had us separated from people. As social beings this has been very challenging. We have felt alone due to isolation of lock downs. The way the world was before the pandemic is behind us. We will do some things again, such as traveling and gathering in groups, but it will be done differently -- proof of vaccine, masking, distancing, booster vaccines, greater expense. It will work, but it will be different. Flexibility will need to be a major part of our approaches to each day. We have been less with less ability to deal with small stresses. Often these become mountains to scale rather than something simple to walk around. Problem solving skills have been parked away in long-term memory. These and other skills that had been used daily now must be dug up, dusted off and relearned. Learning to live again in a new daily reality will take work and energy to master, but it should not be impossible. Finding a way to move forward and to leave behind some of the negative bits of the past many months can be done. We must be kind to ourselves and to others on this journey of relearning. I'll keep you posted as I head forward. <smile>
A song lyric that came to mind today emphasizes the need to move forward, to look ahead and not behind. We can do this, even though some days or parts of days make it feel beyond our reach. Hang in there. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Let It Go -- Tim McGraw
No comments:
Post a Comment