The COVID-19 global pandemic has dominated our thoughts, our dreams and of course the news cycles.
People everywhere gathered round to watch the death tolls climb and the number of new cases as well. Not since WWII has the world united to fight a global foe of this magnitude. And while there is certainly enough bad stuff for us to focus on there is also a fair share of positivity. For the purposes of this post I would like to focus on that. For those that know me, know that always seeing the light and the positivity in a situation is a departure from my usual approach. I am often the pessimist, the storm cloud, the NO guy. While it would be easy for me to pile on to the bleakness that has become our way of life and join the dark side, I am choosing a different path. A path that Yoda himself would be proud of and focusing on the light.
We have all had that conversation with ourselves in the mirror over the last 6 weeks or so. You know the one, and don’t try and deny it; “when we get back to normal I….” But what is that list? What promises are we making to ourselves that are actually self-actualized, deep thought provoked insights into our souls. They probably look something like this:
- Go to the gym/get healthy
- Say “yes” more
- Do something scary
- Try more with _______ (insert person here)
- Not take work so seriously
- Date more
These are great promises or resolutions that we can make, and I am sure some among us will achieve them and emerge better more fulfilled individuals and family units. But what concerns me and has me thinking is for how long will it last and why did it take a super flu from China to literally lift the veil?
The veil I am referring to is the persona that many of us, especially those that are dependent on other human interaction have meticulously crafted over the years. There’s the work version of you and the home version of you and that line does not get crossed. Your boss, manager, supervisor or even peer does not get a behind the scenes look into your bedroom, kitchen, or any other place that now constitutes as HQ. Heaven forbid if you’re a parent and on a call that your child interrupts. Even more rare is how often you open that collaboration app and enable the camera. No one gets to see you at that angle. In those clothes. In line at the grocery store.
But with COVID came something beautiful, something that Luke and Vader fought to the end for. Balance in the force, the great equalizer. We are all at home, we all have to find the balance between our gaming console, subscription service, work, kids, home school and the many other distractions that make up our life. And in that great equalization of station came the human side of people. The video cameras revealed the real you. And not just the bad hair, lack of make-up, no shave, sweatpants and hoodie version. But the messy dining room table that is both company HQ, entertainment room and classroom you. We see your laundry pile and dirty dishes and we see your family. All the amazing things that make you, you. The reason we are distancing from those we love, wearing our PJ’s at 3:00pm and why I have chosen the light.
My hope is that we add to that list and we hold on tight to things that got us through these times and we come out of this better than when entered it. We all have other stuff happening that weighs on us. But we needed to maintain that persona and keep that veil intact. I hope we have more tolerance, more patience and more understanding for each other and that we as a society can reimagine the order of precedence that we have had for decades.
Sometimes it takes a storm to reveal a rainbow.
