From the Editor's Computer
What is normal?
For the past few months I’ve
been trying to maintain as much semblance of normalcy as I can in my life.
Which in light of what I am going through, is really a foolish waste of my
limited energy.
My life is not normal (as I’ve
known it to be in the past). Nor, in the future, will it return to any familiar
form that I could consider normal.
I’m not alone in this
endeavour. Everyone does it at one point or another. When a major change occurs in our lives, we
cling tightly to as much of the familiar as we can. Usually to keep us sane as
live hurls out of control.
We think that if we can keep
some things the same that we can control the changes that are occurring, or
(our usual reaction) completely ignore the changes.
But life doesn’t work like
that. More often than we care to admit, our lives change - sometimes it is a
series of small changes so we barely notice, sometimes it is a massive change
that we can’t ignore, and sometimes it is both at once! Sometimes we instigate
the changes, and sometimes the changes are beyond our control.
In times like this, trying to
maintain a state of normalcy is futile. Whatever was “normal” yesterday is
rarely normal for us today, and definitely not any form of recognizable normal
tomorrow.
Instead of clinging to the old
way of living, we should be exploring the emerging new way. I won’t say
“embrace the new way” as that takes a while, and by the time we are ready,
another change has often occurred and the cycle starts over again.
For me, letting go of my idea
of normal means acknowledging that I am no longer the very early morning person
I’ve always been, and the course of my day doesn’t follow the routines I’ve
been used to. As well, I must realize that I can’t keep going and pushing
myself when I’m tired. But the
biggie...realizing I’m not able to be as efficient as I want.
Am I there yet? Nope! But each
day I get one step closer, and that helps minimize the stress in my life and
body, and aids the healing.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_3oE-hdUgjq8UsNh7dgeYafUKg2IniQ-/view?usp=sharing
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