I Don’t Want Things to Go Back to “Normal”
While most people are looking forward to it, “normal” fills me with dread.
I’m apprehensive about writing this. In fact, it’s taken me weeks to finish. Though I know there will be other people out there who feel similarly, I also know I’m likely to be misunderstood by those who can’t relate. But, the other day, I was asked how I “stayed sane” over the past 15 months and my honest response was, understandably, met with surprise.
I felt more “sane” — in better mental health — during the pandemic than I have in my entire adult life. The truth is, the social-distancing lifestyle was great for me.
I understand that this past year has been one of the worst for most people — not only for the majority of people who struggled with the isolation but, especially, for those who lost jobs, lost their health, or, tragically, lost loved ones. And I want to make it clear that I, in no way, mean to diminish those terrible experiences. I have the utmost empathy for those who fell into the depths of depression and struggled with despair this past year, but I want to truthfully share my experience, as well. And my experience was quite the opposite: What was the worst year for most was, in fact, one of my best.
