Normal?

The new normal - the way things have been the last couple of years.  

We keep saying we want things to go back to normal.  What does that mean?  I don't think that we want normal. At least not the “normal” of 2019.

The abrupt shock of the sudden stop got to us all.  It was 150 miles an hour at 200% 24-seven.  Normal was full throttle, full speed, all things now.  Then the world stopped.  Everything was closed.  We were left with an adrenaline crash and left to deal with the sudden chaos of nothing.   Alone, isolated, and wishing for something better than a caffeine high. The stress of nothing was worse than the stress of everything.

Slowly things started, stopped, sputtered, and started again slowly.  The world cautiously turns back on.   But we are still leery.  As much as we say we want things back to normal, we are hesitant to go to a movie, out to eat, or in a crowded place.  What is normal now?  Going back is no longer an option.

Do we want to go back to 80-hour workweeks, 12-hour days, and our children in daycare?  Do we want condescending bosses that should've been bitch slapped not promoted?   Do we want to wear pants?  Deal with parking issues.  Submit to someone else's time frame.  Do we want heart attack-inducing jobs disguised as careers?

Yes, we need human contact.  Yes, we need socialization.  Yes, we need to get out of our pajamas and out of our houses.  Yes, we need to expand our circle again before our safety bubble crushes us.  Yes, we need purpose, adventure, fun, and connection.  Yes, there is more to life than our zoom screens.

Hopefully this time we learned our lesson.  Hopefully this time we found balance.  Hopefully this time we are willing to fight for the lives we really want.  This time we are willing to say, “no I'm not going to die on your sword.”  This time we demand not going to do more with less.   This time we say, “I am going to do less with more.  This is my life, my way.”   

The pandemic has had a mountain of tragedies. Most of them are heartbreaking.  It is time for us Survivors to say “we have learned our lesson; we will fight for our freedom. We will not go back to sacrificing our lives for someone else’s profit.”

Fight for our weekends off.  Fight for a workweek that doesn't kill us.  Fight for the ability to self-care.  Fight to be with our families and our friends.   Fight to get paid fairly.  Fight to live our best lives on our terms.  In the immortal words of the Beasty Boys, “fight for our right to party”

We don't want the old normal.  We want our new normal. The routine we decide on is typical for us. We are the land of the free.  Living as slaves to our paychecks is not normal and we will not do it anymore.

We have been given a chance to break the chains.   All we have to do is not put them back on.