New Norm: Increased Awareness

Last Thursday I was listening to a podcast from Deep South Dharma by Christie Bates (This is What We’ve Practiced For) which ties into the pandemic and human life interconnections. As quoted in the description, “Christie offers some well-tested reflections that can help us develop the capacity to live at peace with increased awareness. 

Here is what stood out to me: 

• Social distancing means physical distancing 
• Why is livelihood up right now?
• How we make a living vs How we spend our lives? 

Social distancing 🡆 physical distancing 

• Social by definition is an informal gathering organized by members or an individual. Online communication is livelier than it has ever been! I’ve video chat with people more than I have in the last 3 years. By no means have we been cutting down our social life, but our physical. 

Why is livelihood up right now? 

• We’ve always been living with the purpose of building a stable future for ourselves. But since the pandemic started, it has made everyone think twice about their living habits to abstain from the possibilities of getting infected by the virus or even become a victim of unemployment/furlough.
• Covid has given us permission to start, or even pick up, on hobbies/skills in our lives that we weren’t able to before because of work getting in the way. We have the autonomy to live in the present and be with ourselves and loved ones. 
• Our ability to be in various settings via the internet in matters of minutes increases our social lives tenfold. 

How we make a living vs How we spend our lives? 

• Thanks to technology, there is no excuse to have a dull moment in your life. For those who are normally out and about, it’s a chance for to utilize the time for yourself. Reflect how time will be spent moving forward. Doing nothing is more agonizing than it has ever been. So why waste it on nothing? 

Although the changes from Covid is indefinite, I am grateful for the opportunity it has presented to people overall. The grass is always greener on the other side. We are expressing gratitude for being alive, having the time to do other activities, rekindle with loved ones, and so forth. 

A motto I love to follow is: 

“Money is something we can always make back, but time is priceless.”

The best thing about life is that you can always recreate yourself. Whether it’s the new month, week, or day.  I implore you all to perceive this situation in a brighter light. This is the new norm. Having a negative mindset will only increase your mortality rate and suppress the immune system.

While we can continue to stress about this adversity, the only solution at the moment is to be aware of our actions. We must keep our distance and hygiene in priority. When life gives you lemons, do you make lemonade (or something), or nothing at all?