Happy Blogmas day 7…well technically 6 but after some thought, prayer, and consideration I decided that I’m not going to be posting on Sunday. As much as I enjoy writing I also know I need at least a day to process my thoughts. So Blogmas will be a Monday-Saturday situation this year.
Anyway, with that little announcement out of the way I want to get to the point of today’s post. I have, as probably many people, spent WAY more time than I should scrolling various social media outlets. This isn’t a new thing by any means but I feel like I notice it more these days. Lately, with it being the Christmas season I have seen a lot of posts about
“Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is for my friends and family to be happy, healthy, and for things to return to normal.” Sincerely Me.
I have thought a lot about this statement but the more I have thought about it the more I realized I don’t want things to return to “normal” as we come out of this life situation. When I think about what normal has meant for us over the last several years it has been our calendars packed to the brim with activities, family dinners in front of the television, rushed conversations, short tempers, and frayed nerves. If that is what “normal” is then I am truly praying that when we are able to resume some form of “regular” activities we don’t return to “normal”
If not “Normal” Then What?
So if I don’t want things to go back to “normal” then what is it I am wanting to get to? Well, I’m glad you asked.
One thing I am really hoping we can take with us out of this pandemic situation is the slower pace. Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to the kids being able to get back to activities like baseball, theater, church activities, and play dates with friends. What I am wanting is to remember that I don’t have to have every space in my hourly calendar filled. I want to be in a place with our house cleaning routine that I don’t have to spend all the time we aren’t doing school cleaning and re-organizing. I want to be able to sit down on the couch with a book while the kids are playing and the youngest is napping and not feel guilty about it.
I want to take our habit of eating breakfast and dinner together at the table out of our stay at home orders. One thing that I remember learning while at one of the homemaking conferences I attended was how important meals around the table really are. When I was growing up we didn’t have cable or satellite TV and of course streaming services didn’t exist. We ate dinner as a family around the table every night. I remember having conversations about our day, the things we were doing in school or extracurricular activities, and pretty much everything else. Our friends ate with us around the table when they came to visit and it was a place of joy and safety. No one felt like they couldn’t share a thought or feeling. We just were together and we enjoyed each others company. That is what I want for our family.
I want to come out of this without my or my family’s technological devices attached to our faces. I want us to learn to communicate with each other and other people in a face to face manner. I want my kids to learn that there are better ways to express their opinions than attacking someone else who doesn’t agree with them in a comment thread. I want us to remember that we are all people, created in God’s image, who deserve respect and dignity. I want us to enjoy open conversation and a willingness to hear others out before rushing to judgement.
Hopes and Ideals
I am sure that a lot of this is going to seem like it might be too much to ask (especially the whole thing about how we interact with technology), however, one can still dream right? I know that for some getting back to whatever “normal” was before the pandemic hit is the only thing they can look forward to. But as for me, I’m looking forward to learning how to be better, how to do better, and how to come out of this on the other side encouraging everyone else that they can be better too.
What about you? Are you hoping things “return to normal” when things start to resume? Let me know in the comments. And I’ll see you Tuesday!
A Wise Woman in Progress 