What's your new normal?

I almost can't believe we have been in lockdown here in the UK for close to two months! It started off (in my head) like a bad joke that would soon go away, but then as it carried on, many of us started to find some kind of rhythm as we established new routines and found ways to focus our minds. Some of us even started to enjoy the circumstances we found ourselves in. I, for one, relished (and still do) the luxury of being able to go on early morning walks as often as I please without the pressure of having to leave home for work by a certain time. Others have read books, cooked, baked, sewn, sat down to dinner as a family, done DIY and gone cross-eyed watching Netflix and Prime Video. In this world of over-stimulation and plenty noise, it has been amazing to have this golden opportunity to slow right down and catch up with oneself. It's like God pushed the big, red PAUSE button and the world stopped! Many have come to recognise that no, we humans are not "the boss of us", but that there is a higher power, a Big Boss who 'run tingz'.

All around the world, people have also found themselves becoming more technology-aware very quickly as they have had to learn new ways to communicate and to do life in lockdown. Zoom, Houseparty, Google Meet/Duo, Whatsapp video, TikTok (yes I'm in the 'over 30s who discovered TikTok' group, much to my son's dismay 😄), homeschooling, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Online Church, etc. have become buzzwords and the order of the day.

This week, Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister outlined plans for starting to ease the lockdown in England and for restarting our badly-affected economy. As the pace of daily life picks up again over the next few weeks and months, we need to determine how life after lockdown will be. Envision what your 'new normal' is going to look like. What have you learnt from the lockdown experience? What seeds did you sow that you need to keep watering and nurturing until you see the fruit? Which of your passions or relationships were reignited? What things did you enjoy and wish you could carry on doing even when the 'ratrace' begins again? Don't let them die out or go to waste!

Most of us are certainly going to have to change the way that we work and shop. One-way systems through supermarkets and schools, checkout partitions already erected in shops, like in my local Sainsbury's which I visited at the weekend, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in hair salons, nail studios and barber shops. You may never go back to working from the office and become a full-time remoteworker, your role may be redefined as a result of all this. Hotdesking, shiftworking, mask wearing, frequent handwashing, card wielding (at last, my husband may appreciate that what I've been doing all these years of not carrying any cash was preparing for this post-lockdown life!😀). Social distancing will remain in place for some time.

Let your new norm be to smile more. Yes, you may need to stay at least 2m away but you can smile and wave as you pass your neighbours to bring a smile to their faces. Say something nice to a stranger. Laugh regularly with the people you care about, call your mum just because (not just on her birthday or other occasion), appreciate the small blessings in your life as well as the big ones. Make each day count. Most importantly, get to know God your Creator. The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 3:9 that He does not want any human to perish. Why are we still here? He is giving you and me time to get to know Him personally. Want to know more? Drop me a line.

Stay safe. Be blessed. 😘