These past few weeks have been glorious as we are again able to hug friends, enjoy a meal inside a restaurant, and see peoples’ smiles. As excited as we are to get back to our pre-pandemic lives, however, there is value in reflecting on how 15 months of shelter-in-place has changed us—in some ways for the better.

Positives from the Pandemic

Even without being a born optimist, all of us can find at least one good thing that has come from leading our lives differently during the pandemic. Pre-COVID, I was like a pinball, constantly in motion: always doing, moving, going. I was rarely home during the day, choosing to go from gym class to coffee shop to grocery store, or hopping on a plane for a quick visit with friends. Then lockdown occurred and I learned to appreciate our home and the view from our backyard. I got a puppy and made a whole new world of friends, right in our neighborhood, where I was known by a new name: Bella’s Mom. I dialed back the frenzy and began to savor what was in front of me, the here and now.

Finding the Positives

I have heard similar stories of positive take-aways from the last 15 months. People report better sleep, daily walks, less back pain from long communtes, more family meals, bonding between siblings, and new ways to exercise on-line.

Barbara Waxman, author of The Middlescence Manifesto, writes:

What Will You Keep?

As delighted as we are to resume our former lives, it is important to acknowledge what we have learned and what we want to keep as we move forward into a world that is awakening. For me, I value the ‘less frenzied’ Sally. I want to focus on more being and less doing.