Everyone I know has been impacted one way or another by the pandemic. Some in good ways, like spending more time with family. Others, of course, have been through the ringer.
So what can we glean from this experience to hold on to? What can we learn and incorporate into our new, post-pandemic world? I was pondering this very question recently with my 18-year-old daughter. Although she struggled to identify much that was worth holding on to (“why would I want to continue spending Friday nights at home?”), I challenged her to see the bigger picture.
She gave me the I’d-rather-be-on-Tik-Tok look, but I continued on anyway. Because what I’ve learned, and will hold onto, is that it’s all about perspective. Prior to, and certainly during, the pandemic I would find myself getting anxious and/or irritated by small things. A friendly conversation that turned political, a kid who forgot to do homework until bedtime, or extra projects at work – all could set me off.
A few weeks ago I was driving somewhere (likely irritated by the slow driver in front of me), and a song came on the radio. It was a song I had initially heard in college, “100 years” by Blues Traveler. It immediately brought me back to a time in college when I thought my world was caving in on me, ironically at a similar age my daughter is today. That song helped me gain perspective back then, much like the pandemic experience has now.
The filter you choose, the breadth of your view on life, will shape how you ingest the world around you. So as we venture into the post-pandemic era, keep perspective. Many of the little irritants of today won’t mean a thing in 100 years, I promise.
