Practicing the Pause

I’ve been thinking it, but wondered if I was alone in my thinking. Being selfish. In my own little world. I am enjoying many facets of the quarantine. There. I said it. But having said it, I know I’m not alone.

I do not enjoy what havoc it has wreaked on our population. The illness and death, the forced distancing, the masks, continuous disinfecting, using gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray, non-stop hand washing, the effect on our economy, the fear and isolation, the early and abrupt end to in-school learning and my high school seniors missing out on so much of the fun of their last months before graduation.

I do enjoy the renewed closeness I have felt in my own home, with my family.

A few years ago, I started embracing the concept of “practicing the pause”. I started talking to my kids about it, started trying to practice it myself. When faced with any number of situations, taking a moment to stop, think, breathe, collect thoughts or just say a quick prayer can be so beneficial and healing. We are living in a world that goes too fast, doesn’t take a break. We need to slow down.

Recently, we were all forced to take a big pause due to circumstances beyond our control. How has it impacted you and your life?

Prior to our forced pause, I was praying for some changes. My family and I were in desperate need of a break. Then things came to a standstill. We were catapulted from our busy daily lives and hurtled back to basics. More time together. Dinner at the table every night, conversations had, music shared, games played, school work done, household chores shared, fun video chat conversations with friends and family we are unable to visit in person right now, more telephone calls to check in on loved ones.

It often reminds me of what things were like when was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s. My husband and I grew up in a time so vastly different than the one in which our children have grown. Connor and Rachel are big fans of the history and the music of those decades. They have often wistfully declared how they wish they had grown up in an older time (the 70s for Connor, the 80s for Rachel). I think they sometimes feel the impact of the digital world in which they live. I was thinking how not being able to be with their friends in person at this time has been alleviated somewhat by the constant contact they have on various apps and social media. But then I started wondering if this temporary inability to choose their own method of how they socialize with their friends might actually be an impetus to another change for this generation. Could the fact that they have been forcibly limited to only socializing with their friends via their phones actually help their generation eschew some of these virtual interactions in favor of more in person interactions? Time will tell us soon enough!

I had a chance to chill with Connor, Rachel and Gigi a couple of nights ago and we eventually got to the point where we talked about the current state of our world. We talked about what things will be like once we are able to start living our normal life again. I asked the three of them, how do you think people will react to being “free” again once restrictions are lifted. I got three different answers. One said things will be the same, one said people will go crazy, one said people will be more cautious and will continue to practice social distancing in some form or fashion. Well, that about sums it up! Who really knows right now how the majority of people will react, but it will be a mix of these three behaviors no matter what, don’t you think? No matter what people do out in the world, I hope my world retains a bit of the good stuff I’m enjoying right now.