I launch this blog as the world is at a standstill between the COVID pandemic and societal unrest. Waiting in line to go do your groceries, have a limited amount of people you can hang out with, not being able to visit friends and families in their homes, cities protesting on a weekly basis...a few months ago - this could’ve been a great dystopian show on Netflix. Today, it’s reality.
It’s a reality that we are all getting accustomed to, and every day brings a new challenge. During this time, I believe it’s especially important to remind ourselves of what is important to us, and to do more of it. Like many others, I found myself baking more, exercising more, spending more time with the dog...basically LIVING more.
What’s fascinated me over the last few months is, because of the confinement to our own home, we’re forced with the reality of what to do with our TIME. At first, there was a lot of Netflix binge-watching, Disney+ watching...Amazon Prime Video...you name the platform - we’ve been on it. It quickly became mundane to sit there and wither away on the couch. I needed to get moving, to DO more.
I realized we had all taken for granted the ability and freedom to join any yoga studio, register for a pottery class or grab a beer with friends. It suddenly made me appreciate all the things I HAVE so much more. There was plenty of space in my room to do yoga. I may not be able to do pottery - but I’ve definitely been drawing more and I started calling friends on the phone again, something I hadn’t done in ages. Most of all - I could do all this ANY time.
I discovered a new form of freedom - complete control of my own time. I suddenly had SO much more of it because I wasn’t going from one place to another making myself “appear” busy. Without the distraction of the shopping mall, the movie theatre and sports channel playing when you’re at the bar has forced people make more conscious choices of what to do with their time and who to spend it with (remotely or otherwise).
All this has got me wondering, if this were to become the new normal - would we all be able to manage our lives with more intent?