Making the Most of the New Normal
Give thanks for your strength in getting through these last months and be excited about the good things that the future might bring.
We have all heard the term "new normal" as a way to describe what's happening in all our lives right now. We could define it as a situation that was previously not familiar or typical that is now accepted as usual. Whew! That gives me a headache just thinking about it.
Fall is normally a time of new beginnings. Parents are sending kids back to school, teachers are going back to school, and households are returning to a regular routine.
For those folks who are empty-nesters or who are not parents, there's still a sense of fall being a time of new beginning.
For many families, the back to school routine might not be the same this year. Some families are still home schooling, kids of all ages are on modified class schedules, teachers are dealing with different classroom standards, and life got turned on its head.
Thanks, a lot, corona. We are now wearing masks as a new fashion accessory. We are being "socially distant" and all doing our best to keep ourselves and everyone healthy. We may even carrying our own hand sanitizer.
These are tough/different/challenging times, to be sure. In a very short space of time, our lives got completely turned upside down. There has been a significant financial and social impact for almost everyone, everywhere in the world.
The solution is not necessarily found in trying to be "more productive" or finding a "new skill".
Remember the flour shortage during the early days of 2020? It seems that many people felt the need to bake bread. If that was you, kudos to you! Awesome! If it wasn't you, don't feel guilty. We are not all bakers. We have different skills and different ways of coping. We all made it through, so what we did was exactly the right thing. The solution, now, is to find within ourselves the way that we can each move forward and be the best selves we can be and find our life purpose.
There has been a lot of good that has come out of these last months. Depending on where you are, right now, you might not think that, but, there has. You have learned some new skills, even if it was just how to get by before Phase 1 began. You might have cleaned out closets or renovated your house, or you may have taken a course that you might not have otherwise had time for. You might have found the inner teacher in you.
If you were able to work from home, you may have discovered an efficiency that you didn't know was there when you were at the office. Whatever it was, please take a moment to find one good thing and be thankful that was shown to you.
The downside, of course, to the "new normal" is that we can't be as close with our friends and family as we have been in the past. For those who are single, they may be having a harder time that those who have a larger family group for support. This makes wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer seem like a small thing.
Those who are on a diminished income may be finding that it's more economical to eat groceries than eat as many restaurant or take out meals than the "old normal".
The result of the new situation is that we have had an opportunity to reflect on what is important, reevaluate our skill sets, learn new skills, get in touch with ourselves and our families, find new ways to communicate, and discover our resiliency.
Instead of crying in our lattes, teas, (or other beverage of your choice) and lamenting that there is a new set of rules, let's be happy that we are here and able to live with these rules. Let's take the resiliency and creativity of these last months and become better at doing what we do. We can get married! We can get our hair and nails done, go to movies, have dinner out, and go to parks, pools, and gyms. Let's appreciate the extent that life has returned to what we previously experienced as "normal".
Globally, we have been through a tremendous period of growth, which is still happening. Give thanks for your strength in getting through these last months and be excited about the good things that the future might bring.
Most likely, we have all seen the signs "be kind". I'd like to suggest that you take a moment (or two) to be kind to yourself.
If, during these last months, you have been giving thought to what your life purpose might be, I’ll be talking about that in an upcoming article.
Rev. Shirlee Rankin has been a therapist, educator, and speaker for over 30 years and is an Advanced Soul Realignment Practitioner, Ohana Generational Healing Practitioner, Reiki Master, Crystal Practitioner, Animal Communicator, and is an Ordained Metaphysical Minister.
Through years of dedication and study in various physical and metaphysical streams, she is dedicated to helping people discover their Divine Life Purpose and assists couples and families with Soul Realignment, Relationship Readings, Healing family traumas, and performs crystal and reiki treatments for both people and animals.
Shirlee is now called to help in a new way by becoming a metaphysical minister and offering her services as a counselor, wedding officiant, and celebrates life transitions for both people and pets.
shirlee@divinelifepurpose.ca
www.divinelifepurpose.ca
416-434-1066
