My Wish for our “New Normal”

What an interesting flow of events the past few months have been. My journey of isolation has been a very eye-opening experience! At the beginning of this journey, it felt like a mini “staycation” which morphed into my ‘New Normal’. I went from being worried and fearful to being accepting and grateful. The timeline of my isolation includes (but is not limited to):

• Instagram posts to ‘stay at home’
• Yeast-less baking (no yeast in the grocery stores!)
• 2-hour walks
• ‘Quarantine haircuts’ and beards
• Cleaning closets (and everything else!)
• Social media challenges
• Drive-by birthday celebrations
• Online game nights
• Sudden urge to get in shape
• Online grocery orders
• Nightmares of running out of toilet paper
• Watching endless hours of new streams
• The list goes on …

Everybody’s COVID-19 journey is very different. For all of the sadness and negativity that has occurred in the world, for all of the hurt, stress, and pain that some people have experienced, there has to be a silver lining somewhere. Where is it? What is your silver lining?

“When there is unity, there is bound to be happiness” (HH Mahant Swami Maharaj)

My silver lining lies within my hope for the world. I hope that we can create a new sense of ‘normal’. An amazing and positive ‘new normal’. I will never forget the day I was walking down a small street in my neighborhood, usually bustling with cars and people, but today, it was as quiet as a ghost town. As I walked, a man on his motorcycle drove by. I waved. I am not sure what prompted me to wave, but I did. And the beautiful thing was, we made eye contact, he nodded his head and waved back. It sounds so simple, but upon reflection, I realize why that simple action made me so happy. This was the first time I had ever waved at a random person on the street and felt a genuine acknowledgment. As I continued on my regular walks, I noticed that everyone was waving and saying hello to one another. Is this because people are craving social interaction? Maybe. But my wish for the world is that we continue to say hello to our neighbors genuinely.

The connections and re-connections I have had with family and friends have been unbelievable, and I wish for that to be a part of my ‘new normal’.

“True happiness is possible only when we see everyone and everything as good and divine” (HH Mahant Swami Maharaj)

The love and appreciation that we have demonstrated for various groups of individuals is a testament to the solidarity we have as a nation and as a globe. For those struggling due to the loss of their businesses or jobs, the people of the streets, the sick and elderly, and those that have different abilities. The many stories of people sewing and donating masks, opening their ‘shut down’ restaurants to cook food for people in need, and simply helping neighbors shop for groceries and essentials has been one of the most heart-warming things I have seen in my lifetime.

Have you ever seen whole countries coming out to the balconies or front doors to bang pots and make noise for our healthcare professionals and essential workers? Never have I seen such solidarity amongst us as global citizens. Never have I seen such sacrifice from our Healthcare workers, putting their lives on the line to keep all of us alive. Never have I seen, so many musical artists come together to perform free concerts to raise funds for those in need. Never have I seen so many signs and notes of love and positivity on the front windows of every house I walk past. I want my ‘new normal’ to overflow with positive thoughts, words, and actions towards others. As HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj said, “In the joy of others, lies our own”. If I can make this quote the mantra of my ‘new normal’, I will be more giving and joyous, and much less competitive and negative. My wish for the world is that we see everyone as good and divine to be happy and fulfilled.

“Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your purpose”(Aristotle, Greek philosopher and scientist)

As healthcare workers and other essential service providers are working tirelessly for others, this service is the type of service that has no words. In my opinion, this is the ultimate service to humanity.

With having a little more time on my hands, I began to reflect on the sacrifices I have made in my life and my purpose on this earth. I started to realize that I want to give more during this difficult time. I emailed a few friends and started conducting some virtual kids’ yoga classes. As an educator in the greater Toronto area, I decided this would be the perfect way to give parents that are at home with their children a little break as well as provide the children with something positive to do. My reflections helped me reignite my hidden talent and interest in teaching yoga. After just a few short weeks, the news of my classes spread, and I noticed more and more people from across the globe joining in. Every single yoga class that I teach, which includes breathing exercises, life lessons, fun stories, exercise, and focus, has helped me to understand how I can serve my community. My wish for the world is that our ‘new normal’ includes more service and less charging.

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn” (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nineteenth-century American poet)

If it takes just one acorn to create a thousand forests, then I’m in! Being an “Earth Warrior” and protecting the environment has always been a passion of mine. Shopping with reusable bags, carrying a reusable straw, using less plastic, drinking tap water, etc. But I could never have imagined that I would be able to see a shift like this. During this pandemic, many of us have had the chance to rest. So has the planet. Mother Earth is thanking all of us for creating less pollution by staying at home, less mass production, and less shopping. Many animals have been feeling safer and more comfortable to go home. One day, again, on one of my regular walks, I saw some ducks in a tiny streamlet that flows between some houses in my neighborhood. I had never seen anything like it before! They were swimming along peacefully and enjoying the reduction of noise pollution. Various countries have experienced much less pollution and smog, which has been better for people and the environment.

The concept of not wasting has a new meaning for me. Finding toilet paper was a challenge, so I reduced how much I was using. I learned that it is possible to use less and still get the job done! I couldn’t purchase my face moisturizer, so I started to reduce the usage of the bottle I had left. Towards the end of the bottle, I wiped out every single last bit of moisturizer and did the same with my tube of toothpaste. I even cut the tube so that I could get every last drop. This may sound frugal; however, I learned a valuable lesson — why waste?!

The day the Garden Centres opened in the Greater Toronto Area was a great day for many Torontonians. Garden lover or not, people started to work outside in their gardens, indicating to me the need for a connection with nature. My wish for the world is that our ‘new normal’ helps us to stay connected to nature and the environment as we have through this pandemic.

My Wish for our New Normal

When the pandemic was starting to get a little more severe in Canada and the United States along with other places in the world, I moved to my parents’ house so I could look after errands for them. I brought seven pairs of clothes, including seven leggings, seven t-shirts, seven pairs of underwear, and three sweaters. These past few months have helped me to live more simply. If I have groceries in the house, I use them up before going to get more. If I don’t have the things I need from my condo, I can make do with what I have. Simplicity. I hope to reduce my closet and my clutter. As we plug away through these challenging times, my wish for the world is for us all to see the good in each other, live as a family, and look out for one another. I hope our ‘new normal’ consists of giving to others and the community without judgment, sharing appreciation and respect for one another, and a healthy planet with a greater focus on environmental conservation.

Even if the new normal means wearing a mask in public and wiping down my groceries, my wish for the world is that positivity prevails.

Deepa Gohill, Educator, Literacy / Numeracy Coach
Toronto, Canada