Pause to remember
By Cara Chang Mutert
Life is speeding up again. After more than a year of seclusion, lovingly tending to home and family while living in the uncertainty of what’s next, life is revving back up to what we remember as normal.
But as our calendars begin to fill and the pace of life picks up momentum again, I’m reminded of some of the lessons we learned from the whole thing that we’re now trying to put behind us. While the loss was great, the pandemic did afford us a slower pace of life, more quiet moments, and stronger connection to family. During that time, many of us gained new perspective and likely even experienced some epiphanies.
For those of us who lean toward introversion, we had moments of really enjoying the forced isolation, endless quietude, and reinforcing the bonds with those we love most. Just like the planet seemed to take a deep breath in to recover, we too were allowed a time for introspection and reset.
As we broach re-entry, however, I have found myself feeling a bit squirmy at times amid the residual flashback of the lockdown, all the rules and warnings, and the fear and anxiety that became our modus operandi. I realize wearing masks and avoiding close contact with others for over a year unfortunately strengthened some of my reclusive tendencies. After all the waiting and hoping for a return to normal, I’ve discovered I’m ironically having to re-acquaint myself with some rusty social skills that once came easily. Now thankfully, a return to living with the openness that we work so hard to achieve in yoga is once again possible.
But with the hot summer days already in full swing, I’ve also noticed how hot heads, fast cars, impatience, and a go-go-go mindset can often accompany the high temps. Instead of unconsciously falling prey to that energy, I’m really hoping we will all try to stay grounded in the lessons we learned from our seclusion and try to move forward into this rebirth we’ve been granted with more sensitivity, patience, acceptance, equilibrium, and gratitude. How lucky we were in a way to have been given the opportunity to spend more than a year with our families doing the things that matter most and enjoying the small things that are so often buried in the busyness of our lives.
As we come out on the other side of this historic global pause, it’s a cautionary tale, I suppose. To remember why community is so important. That human connection is vital. Friendships are precious. Prioritizing is key. Saying no is OK. Taking time to pause and regroup is helpful and healthy. And quiet moments and introspection remain an integral component of self-care, balance, continued growth, heightened awareness, and compassion.
Following a year of submersion, we can finally swim up to take in a deep breath. But it would be sad after everything we survived, maybe even wasteful, if we just went back to the status quo without having learned anything or integrated the lessons we learned. With all the loss, with all the important issues that finally came to the forefront during the past turbulent 15 months, I hope we have gained deeper understanding of the value of life, a greater appreciation of all the gifts it brings, and our undeniable connection to one another.