"Sometimes I think and wonder, 'Will our world ever be back to normal?' But the fact is, it wasn't normal it was what we were used to, and not all of it was good." ~Me~
The thing about remembering the past is perspective. One person's memory of a specific event is never the same as someone else's memory. Think of looking at a replay of a football game. The first camera angle might show the player from one side, and it is difficult, maybe even impossible, to see if his feet are within bounds, but you can clearly see he has possession of the ball. Both feet are within the boundary from the second camera angle, and they rule the play a catch. First down!
Going down the path of memories can be fun, accurate, and inaccurate. Sometimes we will only remember the good parts. (Those "glass half-full" types - I'm looking at you.) Sometimes we will focus on all the bad parts. ("Half-empty" types - raise your hands.) The fact is both are correct from each perspective within reason. There are the storytellers who will always embellish a memory. However, the story is not a lie; it is not exactly the truth.
The world as we know it is not the same as it was two years ago. A worldwide pandemic changed many people, places, and things. The whole experience has been difficult for some! There are people, places, and things that the pandemic affected positively, and for others, there were some positives and some negatives. It might be difficult to comprehend how a worldwide pandemic can have positives. Again, perspective. In some areas, reducing travel and slowdown of economic activities reduced pollution and improved water and air quality. Introverts with anxiety got a long break from coming up with reasons they could not come out. (I do not need to list the negatives; I believe we have a long list of those.) As wonderful as something seems to you, a party, an era, a song, any of those (and others) might hold very distinct and opposite feelings for someone else. Be kind.
Remember, when you are relishing in the happiness of a moment in time, someone may have seen the event very differently. This is not to say you should not be happy about the moment; be aware. Be kind, and understand not everyone experiences everything the same way. This also means that not everyone's "normal" is the same! Personally, I have a hard time with the word when it is related to people. To use the word regarding comparing temperatures from past years makes sense. To use the word to compare two children of the same age, not so much. There are far too many parameters that can affect people of any age. It is beyond time to embrace the view of what human beings should be, dress, act like, live, work, play, the list goes on and on, as anything but normal!
Love Lots; Smile Often
MommaHattie
This week's poem:
Ships slip silently to shore
Trains tip intensely toward town
Cars creep, chauffeurs in comatose
Planes' pilots pause
Travel takes a timeout
Bikes begin
Walks awaken
Altered existence