THE NEW 'NORMAL'
I, like so many others, spend a lot of time thinking about the phrase the 'new normal'. It gets thrown around so much, and it always bothers me because things don't feel normal at all to me. And how could they? We have all lived for years and years in a certain way, is 6 months of a new way of life really long enough for that to then feel 'normal'? Especially when that 'normal' is in a state of flux all the time, and there is a constant threat that things might revert to full lockdown, which we definitely didn't experience for anywhere near long enough for that to feel anything close to normality. I think we all have our own boundaries of what normal is - for me, London is smaller than ever as I almost exclusively spend my time in East. That combined with the lack of travel has made my world feel the smallest it has felt in years. From travelling at least once a month last year, to living mostly within a 5 mile radius, is a huge change. Even travelling within London, most days pre-Covid were made up of meetings and events. So, like most people, I always had to get up and had somewhere to be. Meetings all exist over the phone now, and who knows when it will be appropriate for events to kick off again, so every morning has become leisurely and slow. Which is lovely, but definitely sets the tone for everyday, which more than anything feels more monotonous than ever before. I have always pinched myself over my lifestyle and what this job allows me, but I am now more than ever. Realising how much that regular travel inspires me in so so many ways is more obvious to me than ever before.
And while yes, life will be like this for a while, and we all must adapt as we go - I can't be alone in not feeling 'normal' about any of this? It has made me acutely grateful of so many things, which is incredible. It's given us all time to slow down a reflect, which we would never have found the time to do otherwise. But as the months move on at an alarming pace, and bleed into each other, how do we all keep up this positive outlook? I read an incredible article I wanted to share here which explained so much to me, and made me want to write this short post.
I would love to hear your thoughts too.
