Coronavirus Has Taught Us The Beauty and Potential in Ordinary Life
We are seeing the world with new eyes.
A month ago in most parts of the USA, things were pretty normal. We went to work, chatted and joked with co-workers. We were still giving hugs, handshakes and high-fives. We had toilet paper.
Now our streets and offices are eerily empty and quiet. Co-workers and friend’s faces are somber. Some are hiding waves of panic and dread behind tight smiles and light-hearted memes.
A month ago most of us were sure we’d have jobs and income for the foreseeable future. Now everything is uncertain, as we wait and see how long these nation-wide community ordinances and lock-downs will last.
This crisis is unlike anything most of us have seen in our lifetimes. Many of us are still in shock, but that’s slowly wearing off and we’re looking at pre-COVID-19 life in a very different light.
I posted on Facebook yesterday, asking my friends this question:
What personal lessons have you learned from the crisis thus far?
Turns out, we’re learning a lot.
An underlying theme emerged from all of the answers: We’re all realizing how much we took our simple, ordinary lives for granted.
Why? What was different about pre-COVID-19 life? What aspects did we take for granted, and how can we allow this crisis to change us in a positive way?
To get to the answer, let’s dig a little deeper into all the responses to my Facebook question.
“Everyday Things”
Before I posted this question on Facebook, I’d already written in my journal about my own answer.
I wrote that this crisis has shown me the beauty of normalcy. Of routine. Of going to work each day and saying hi and chatting with co-workers. Of settling in to check my email.
Strangely, I didn’t miss the highlights of my life — the exciting moments. The annual vacations, receiving praise or an award. I missed the simple, everyday interactions with people.
Before the crisis, I worked with around 75 volunteers on a weekly basis. A huge part of my day was making conversations with all of them. With the city-wide lock down, we are down to a small handful who are still allowed to come.
My heart aches for those simple, happy conversations. The love and connection within them stands out to me more than ever before.
My friends on Facebook had similar sentiments about the simple moments they’d taken for granted. They said:
“I took the presence and touch of others for granted.”
“I miss the sound of a group of friends talking and laughing.”
“I miss watching Cardinal baseball with my dad.”
“This has taught me not to take people and ‘everyday things’ for granted.”
“It’s Okay to Be Still”
So why did we take these things for granted? What caused us to miss the beauty in our ordinary lives?
I think the answer lies in another response to my Facebook question. When asked what personal lessons she learned from the crisis, one of my friends responded:
“That it’s okay to be still. As a society, it’s always a race to the next activity, but now we have to be still.”
Stillness. Just the thought of the word is enough to make any American cringe.
In order to notice the beauty in ordinary moments, we have to actually pause, and experience them in real time. To be present as they unfold, and to feel genuine gratitude in the moment.
We spend most of our lives chasing the extraordinary. Daydreaming about exotic trips, working toward lofty goals. Many of us spend most of our time feeling constantly dissatisfied with our lives as they are.
We are waiting for the magical moment when we have everything we want, to be present and grateful.
I’ll be present when I lose more weight.
I’ll be present when I have more money.
I’ll enjoy the moment when I have a better job.
Days just pass us by, and we dismiss them as not good enough. Now most of us would do anything to return to that ordinary life.
We also intentionally fill our lives with distractions, to avoid stillness.
With stillness, comes reflection. We can clearly see the potential within us to be more of who we are through our habits and actions.
Instead, we “race to the next activity.” When we reach the end of our to-do list, we must fill our attention with something — social media or other content. We don’t dare rest in silence.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no shortage of distracting content. But surprisingly, many are choosing stillness instead. We’re gardening and blowing bubbles with our children. We’re taking walks and waving at neighbors from a distance. We are noticing Spring blooming.
The stillness has allowed us to finally inhabit our lives.
“The Norm for so Many”
One of my friends commented about the new feeling of walking into a grocery store and being unsure that she would find the basic food items she needed.
This made her realize that this is “the norm for so many” who could not afford basic items even before the crisis.
This represents an aspect of ordinary life we all took for granted: stability.
Most of us took for granted the fact that we always knew where our next meal would come from. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re looking at empty shelves that normally contain essential foods like meat and eggs. We’re feeling the tightness in our chest as panic sets in.
This crisis is allowing us to scratch the surface of how it feels to live in poverty, as millions of Americans do every day of their lives.
Instead of stability, our lives are now infused with uncertainty and ambiguity.
I work at the largest domestic violence shelter in Missouri, and while our residents are just as fearful of COVID-19 as the rest of us, this will not be the first or the last time they’ve faced uncertainty.
Many of them left their abusers with just the clothes on their back, their children having to enroll in completely new schools mid-semester. They have to share a living space with complete strangers.
For them, every step is uncertain. Yet they bravely move forward, slowing putting the pieces back together and creating solid ground.
The coronavirus crisis is jarring us out of our self-involvement and allowing compassion and empathy to unfold in all of us. We’re seeing the plight of our fellow humans more clearly as we walk a few steps in their shoes.
“The Impact of Our Absence”
In answer to the question about lessons learned from the virus outbreak, my brother mentioned the impact we are seeing on the environment during social distancing:
“I am amazed at the places where the impact of our absence is being noticed. Clear canals in Venice, clearer skies over LA and China.”
While the reduction in smog over LA and China are sure to be only temporary, those striking images are opening our eyes to the potential we have to lessen our negative impact on the environment through our daily habits.
We’re seeing the results of our domination over nature, as we spend more time walking and riding bikes outdoors — the only option for getting out of the house during this time.
Our reliance on grocery stores to access food is also a striking revelation for some, and many are cultivating gardens, deciding to raise chickens and learning about how to live in more sustainable ways.
“Never Put Off The Important Things”
One of the last comments on the Facebook thread was:
“Never put things off — the important things.”
There is a clarity of mind that only a disaster can bring. While COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on our health and economy, it has shaken us our of complacency and shown us what’s truly important.
It’s shown us the beauty and stability of ordinary life.
The powerful love and connection between us that we never noticed before.
The potential for awakening that lies within quiet and stillness.
Compassion for the suffering of others.
Our potential to live in harmony with nature.
Now is the time to stop “racing to the next activity.” To stop distracting ourselves and inhabit our lives with every cell in our bodies.
To show mercy and understanding and help where we see a need.
We’re being given a second chance to appreciate what our lives — our beautiful, ordinary lives — have to offer.
Make it count.
