By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
Now that we’re, for the most part, back into the swing of things and the hustle and bustle of the world has returned, do you, on some level, long for the quiet of a year ago, minus the threat of a fatal virus?
Are you finding it difficult to jump back in and adjust to the hectic pace that has returned or are you sighing a sigh of relief that the quiet is over because you love the chaos?
When the world stopped over a year ago, there was more time to be still and take stock of life and what’s really important in our lives. We had time to calm our minds and give it a rest. Speaking for myself, I was able to start a task and see it all the way through without a dozen interruptions where each one was “urgent”. It goes without saying that in my line of work as a Realtor; just about every communication is important and/or urgent.
As we reenter life, post pandemic, I am constantly asking myself if we, as a community, learned anything through the turmoil of the last fourteen months.
I will share a few of my revelations.
- The main lesson learned is that in order to live an enriched life and to get the most out of this one life we’re given, is to understand that it is of the utmost importance to train ourselves to filter out the noise and silence any distracting thoughts, as best as we can, in order to be in the moment. Creating a calm environment is the main ingredient to making our surroundings easier to focus on what’s at hand and not what’s on the other hand.
- Drowning out the noise is not something that comes naturally to us humans. We have to concentrate our efforts on getting back to the present moment on a continual basis. We had no choice this time last year. The stillness was imposed upon us. Now it’s a discipline to be kept in check, the same as taking care of our health through diet, exercise and lifestyle. It’s a daily struggle but one that has many rewards. This quote is one of my top mantras. The best preparation for the future is to live as if there were none. Albert Einstein
- In the transition from a hushed life to a frenetic life, it is essential to get and stay grounded and centered and learn to ride the wave, however calm or rough the storm is. Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. Dalai Lama
- We’ve had a first hand, real time tutorial on how to find ways to weather any storm that may come our way. For example, I learned through creative ways how to stay connected with my family and friends. The creativity that was hidden before, opened up for me because my mind was free to receive information, instead of feeling like a hamster going round and round on the wheel of life.
- When life goes from one extreme to the other, like what we’ve experienced, and with the adjustments that had to be made, it tells us a lot about ourselves and how resilient we are, or aren’t. It’s a rediscovery, reexamination and reintroduction to who we are at our core. For me, it’s been a time to clean out the proverbial closet of my life to weed out what or who doesn’t work anymore. It’s quite liberating.
- It has been and continues to be my observation that the rush to shorten the quarantine overpowered what should have been time taken to learn the lessons. Sadly, that may have eluded many. It is my hope that the lessons that could have and should have been learned are not lost. Life is not a race, it is a gift. Enjoy it. Don’t rush through it. Daniella Kessler
As we all settle back into our life, as we knew it pre-pandemic or as we now know it and have evolved into, may we never forget what we survived; recognizing the miraculous effort on the part of many to accomplish what was accomplished in such a short period of time. We lived through an era that will go down in history! May we never forget.
Thank you for allowing me to impart my point of view. I hope I did not offend anyone.
