A Reflection as We Near the End of the Pandemic

Originally published inThe Belton Journal prior to the availability of their digital archive

After Governor Abbott completely lifted the mask mandate in Texas last week, it has finally begun to feel like things are getting back to the “old” normal, and it is a good time to reflect on the last fourteen months. While people are undoubtedly tired of hearing about the Coronavirus, there are aspects about its effects that we should not take lightly or forget easily, even after it becomes a thing of the past. Just about everyone in the world has been affected in one way or another by the pandemic and the subsequent quarantine, whether negatively, positively, or a little of each. As such, I have reflected on some of the positive ways that the pandemic has affected my life, which I think is an important thing to do so as  to not let the heartache of the negatives take over.

First of all, I learned to fight the urge to constantly be on the move. Even though I am an introvert at heart, I still like keeping busy, whether that be with work, a hobby, or running errands. But during the lock-down, I could not go to work, stay too long at the grocery store, or mindlessly wander around Target. The dependence that I previously felt on doing these things was not healthy, and I did not realize that until I was forced to stay home. During the quarantine, I started to find new routines at home and began to do more productive things with my richer inner life. Even though the state is fully open now, I have been attempting to stay mindful to not slip back into old habits.

During the quarantine, I also learned to be at peace with my quiet lifestyle. I have often felt a certain amount of shame and guilt about my introverted way of life. Social events cause me anxiety, I would love to have a remote job, and I look forward to days with no commitments. While none of those things are inherently wrong, it seems that society tends to disagree with me on my most indelible necessities. However, during lock-down, everyone was forced to live like introverts, and while lots of people lost their minds out of boredom at the beginning of the quarantine, I realized that I did not have to feel guilty about staying home all day or taking a nap after work. Everyone else was in the same at-home boat as I was, and I finally began to feel at peace with my quiet lifestyle. Now that we are all out-and-about again, it is my hope that more people realize that staying at home when they need to is an acceptable thing to do.

However, I think one of the most important take-aways that I learned from these last fourteen months is that I do not want to waste the chance to define our new (old) normal. In the still and quiet of the quarantine, I have been able to see my own bad habits under a microscope, and I could see what I do not like about my life, what I want to continue, and what I want to change. I have been able to see my life so much more clearly, and I am not ready to give that up. The Coronavirus pandemic brought so much devastation, fear, and sorrow to the world, but we must always try to find the good that comes out of times of misfortune and uncertainty. While I am thankful that we are, hopefully, seeing the end of this pandemic, I sincerely hope that we can all take this opportunity to look back, reflect, and be thankful for the good that can always be found in truly awful situations.