Change
Today, I find wonder in change.
On Earth Day, my Pastor wrote a lovely reflection on how at times it's hard to put faith in people to turn things around for the better, but she's seeing that we are in fact changing (and quickly!) as an adaptation to COVID-19. It was a hopeful post.
Change excites me most of the time, but I know that for many change is a scary thing. Here's my question for those who are not fans of change: When so much is changing every day, is it possible to look for good change and embrace it rather than run from it?
I also wondered if things had changed on their own, without me noticing or trying to change the way things were -- we just adapted. So I took it upon myself to do a little reflecting. What has changed for me in the past month?
- I'm a hard worker. I'm a planner. I like to be ahead. But never before have I worked so diligently at getting ahead so that I'm setting me and my family up for success. There is even more discipline that's emerging, and I'm here for it. (And you absolutely CAN still be a planner in the midst of a global pandemic! I just started using my Franklin Covey planner that I ordered earlier this month and have fallen head over heels in love with it.)
- I've placed a higher value on housework. I have a love-hate relationship with housework: I hate to do it but damn does it feel good to get your home in order and clean. I think I can tie this back to the fact that we're stuck here for the majority of the time, so I don't want to spend my days in a mess. We're still messy, because none of us are particularly obsessed with a perfect home with everything in its place, but I recognize that a certain level of tidiness and organization is more of a priority to me now.
- I've relaxed the parenting bar. I said I wouldn't give Oliver real screen time before age 2. Well guess what? He's watching a local husband/wife duo on some mornings (they sing songs, encourage interactive play, read books, etc.) and I've even put on nature documentaries for him. He's not glued to the computer screen (he'd much rather play with his toys) and I limit the amount of time he watches, but if I can have 15-20 minutes where someone else entertains him and I get a work-related project done, fine. I also was starting to slowly wean him from pacifiers before the virus gripped the world. Now if he wants a pacifier, I happily give it to him. We do what we need to do to keep sane, and if that means you lower your standards a little bit, I'll back you up and be your cheerleader.
- Meal planning has become a higher priority for me, and I think for two reasons. First, we're trying to limit the amount of times we have to go to the grocery store, so stocking up at one visit and then spending weeks cooking up the food is our new normal. Figuring out which ingredients to buy and use for certain recipes, having leftovers for lunches, cooking Oliver's meals in advance, and keeping a diverse and interesting menu are all important. Second, while we're both blessed to have retained our income at the moment, that's not a guarantee. This pandemic isn't going away any time soon, and the future is unclear (for instance, my organization is talking about cutting benefits to offset projected losses). We do try to support our favorite restaurants from time to time, but we're definitely not spending what we were pre-COVID on things like specialty coffees, take-out, and impulse buys.
There certainly is a lot of good change happening right now, and I'm hoping we can sustain some of the good changes even after all this is over.
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