The past 18 months is one for the history books. As a society, we haven’t been able to share milestones. We have been isolated from our families. However, here are three positive things I have learned from lockdown.
My family’s lives were INSANE before lockdown. As much as I am so excited for certain aspects of life to “return to normal” (please Lord, keep schools open), I have to admit that I am enjoying this quieter pace of life.
Appreciation For Stillness
I am from a big, loud family. I have 9 siblings (from the same two parents). Growing up, our house was the most happening house around. Even as adults, before the pandemic, we all saw each other frequently, and when we were together, it was loud, and there was as much food as opinions. Picture a scene from my Big Fat Greek Wedding.
And then it all stopped.
For the first time in my life, my house was quiet and consisted of just my husband, child, and me (and our three senior dogs, but they sleep all day, so I am not sure if they count when calculating the “hustle and bustle” factor). Even life for just the three of us drastically changed. We no longer split our time between two cities. For the first time in our married lives, we stayed put.
Once the shock and unhealthy coping mechanisms of the first lockdown from March-July 2020 ended, it was replaced by a lot of mindfulness, gardening, meditation and, dare I say, appreciation for quiet. Stillness is now my friend, and for that, I am grateful.
Community
Another thing that COVID has brought me is a deeper sense of community. We have gotten even closer with our neighbours and have a whole new level of appreciation for community. For example, in March 2020, when schools shut down, and my husband and I found ourselves both working from home (without any official home office space) AND online schooling (without reliable internet), our neighbour stepped in with emergency child care. This amazing neighbour also became my default therapist and the only person outside my family that I saw for MONTHS! There is nothing quite like a global pandemic to make you appreciate the angels in your community who are disguised as neighbours.
The Working Parent
The past 18-months has shone a light on how family life intersects with work life.
On a macro level, lockdown showed society that full-time employment in the modern age needs a few tweaks.
The 40-hour workweek was based on one person staying home to take care of domestic duties. Even in the rare case that a two-parent household has one full-time stay-at-home parent, if two kids are chauffeured around to activities, it seems like more than a full-time job.
For many families this past year, there has often been no other option than working from while assisting children with online school. In my life, that translated to a lot of work interruptions. Click here for Taylor’s tip on how to get things done as a mom.
Now is the time to reevaluate what your ideal work situation would look like for you. Hopefully, more employers will realize the importance of work flexibility and adopt the belief that so long as employees get their work done, they will be as flexible as the job allows. Also, I hope this new work environment will make employees more confident to ask for creative solutions.
The last year and a half have literally been one for the history books. But I am grateful for the appreciation for stillness and my community that it has brought me. So let’s embrace these lessons so that our lives are a little bit better when we ease back into life.
