Don’t Be Surprised If This Happens

It’s Thursday morning.

Day 5 or 20 or even 30 of your new normal, depending on your particular situation.

By now, you’ve survived the hardest part of transitioning to being at home — Day 3.

Why is Day 3 the hardest?

Because unlike Days 1 & 2, which are characterized by a flurry of frenzied activity and loud pronouncements of disbelief that this is really happening, by Day 3 you realize, okay.

This is really happening.

You’re awake and out of bed on your own. No alarm clock needed anymore. You are sleeping longer and waking up refreshed and surprisingly calm. Note to self: the experts weren’t kidding. Sleep really does make a difference.

Breakfast is casual. You are tasting what you eat for the first time in how many years? Instead of choking down another tasteless protein bar as you hurry to catch the train, you sit at the breakfast counter and eat your food one delicious bite at a time.

You are developing a new routine. If you are still employed or your business is still running, you’ll have virtual calls with colleagues and clients throughout the day.

If you are looking for new opportunities, you spend some time reaching out to your network, posting a meme or short article, updating your resume and LinkedIn profile, engaging with people who have interesting things to say.

But first, a shower. Not a quick-gotta-get-clean-and-get-out-the-door kind. Rather, a longer, more relaxing shower where you feel the hot water cascading over your skin.

Later, after your calls are over and you’re caught up on email (you can hardly believe you’re almost to that Holy Grail of inbox zero!), you will also discover that you have time for other things that for some reason you didn’t think you had in your life prior to state-mandated stay in places and quarantines.

Don’t be surprised if having these new stretches of time that you didn’t realize existed for you before stimulate new thoughts and tickle your imagination.

Don’t be surprised if you begin to think that life before you were forced to take a pause, slow down, and stay home wasn’t as great as you convinced yourself it was.

That maybe, just maybe, out of this global pandemic will emerge something kinder and gentler to your spirit of being alive.

You may begin to understand why some people years ago opted out of the frenetic 24/7 pace for a slower, more leisurely existence. Why some people have deleted social media apps from their phones. Why some people smile easily and laugh often.

You may question how important gaining another ten thousand followers to your Twitter account is when taking a walk each afternoon outside is so much more interesting and leaves you feeling more alive and connected to something bigger than yourself than you have in a long, long time?

You may question what you do to earn a living, wondering if now’s your chance to make the break from the mind-numbing work you’ve tolerated in exchange for a paycheck that supports a lifestyle you’re not sure makes sense anymore?

Of course, you may discover that even though this pause has been interesting, you loved your old life and can’t wait for this craziness to end so you can get back to some semblance of that life as you once knew it.

Don’t be surprised if any, all, or none of this happens.