#6
THE BLESSINGS OF A BORING ROUTINE
Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted. Aldous Huxley
It has been a year now since the nightmare of COVID 19 invaded the set routines of our "normal" lives. Thinking back, we often complained about small things as if they were important enough to fret over - doing what my grandparents called "making a mountain out of a molehill." In hindsight, how foolish we were! We didn't realize just how good we previously had it. It has truly been a year of "not appreciating what you have until it's gone!"
A common, yet unfortunate, phenomenon in human nature is when we don’t truly appreciate what we have while we have it. It often takes decisive events for us realize how fortunate we were. We realize how much we rely on our possessions after our house gets robbed. We recognize the gift of a secure paycheck after we lose our job. And when we tragically lose a friend or family member, we wish we had told them every day how much we loved them.
We are fortunate for many things that often slip from our conscious: to have a bed to sleep in every night, a job (no matter how boring it is), a bank account with at least a few dollars in it, schools that makes us think, parents who love us, and friends who keep us sane. Of course, we often take all of those for granted. These parts of our existence become so routine and familiar that we have no concept of what a day would be like without them. We never imagine not having them because we just assume they will always be there. Our families, friends, homes, schools, jobs and hometowns are so engrained in our lives that we forget that these fortunes are in no way permanent.
Lately, I feel like I am about to stick my head out of the cave where I have been "sheltering in place" for over a year. I have dutifully worn my mask. I have "socially distanced." I have had my hands anointed every day with blobs of hand sanitizer. I have my two vaccinations. I am beginning to feel like an under-the-ground crocus bulb about to burst through the snow into the warm light of spring! I promise not to take the spring and summer for granted this time around! I promise to savor both of them like a box of expensive chocolates!
Maybe one of the most important things I have learned during this whole pandemic prisoner-of-my-own-condo experience is how wonderful "normal" really is! I learned a similar lesson when I was volunteering in the Caribbean missions. I learned how blessed we are in this country to have the many conveniences that we so easily take for granted. The best way to appreciate them is to do without them for a week or two!
During these "post-panic pandemic days," I am beginning to feel like I do when I am recovering from the flu. I find myself making promises that if I can only get over this and get back to normal, I will never complain about anything ever again. Since the flu usually passes in a few days, I usually forget the promises I made to never complain. If this pandemic passes, after a year of COVID19 restrictions, I am pretty sure my promises to never complain about "the routine of normality" should have a much longer shelf-life.
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