In search of a destination

We are still in the adjustment phase, learning, adapting, trying to process this strange new world. We are used to having this neat long term perspective on our lives, a fixed rhythm of holidays, school dates, tax deadlines and sporting events. With all of that suddenly cancelled it can feel a lot as though our path is now devoid of signposts, that what is is now is what will always be with no horizon or destination.

There is a destination though, we just don't know how far or exactly what it will take to get there. We live in hope that sooner or later there will be a cure, an effective treatment, a vaccine - something that will allow us to return to our former lives.

My guess is they won't quite be the way they were, I don't think the world can go through a cataclysmic event like this and remain unchanged, but until we're there we won't know entirely what the post-covid 19 world will look like, how similar to our past existence, what changes might be permanent, what will be slight course corrections.

Bottom line though is that most of this is out of our hands. It might be weeks, months, more. It might be a blip in our routines, it might change our societies forever. But right now that is all beyond us.

Right now our worlds have shrunk to our here and now at home and our horizon isn't planning next year's summer break with the kids or a visit with the grandparents but the coming week's meal plan and juggling the logistics of WFH and a gaggle of kids.

If you are a natural planner think short term, sort out your kitchen, work out what stock you have and how long you can manage between grocery runs, re-organise your house - pick all sorts of short term jobs that let you indulge that planning instinct and help you to feel busy and useful in the face of so many things you can't control or influence. Feather your nest, spruce up your "castle", plan things you can control and can make a difference in.

If you are handy sew masks for a local hospital or raise funds to help with purchasing the sort of vital protective gear so many otherwise developed nations seem woefully short of. Plant a vegetable patch, at once something to do with your kids and something to ease the stress of going out to the shops. Working the soil soothes the soul and helps to adjust our focus on the world. Phone some elderly relatives or neighbours shut in for their own protection. Find ways to make a difference, however small, helping yourself by helping others.

I hope these suggestions help you to find some peace and calm in the uncertainty of our global predicament. These are just some suggestions off the top of my head, by no means a one size fits all recommendation. Above all we need patience and perspective to weather this one out, take each day as it comes.