Standing At The Edge

The energy is shifting in the past few weeks. There is some optimism about getting back to the world after a long lockdown. At the same time, there are virus variants, uncertainties and some trepidation about what is to come. How do I move through this?

We’ve Been Through an Opening

At the start of the pandemic, we walked through a major Opening. We may have not recognized it, as there was crisis, concern and uncertainty to deal with as well. Life soon became unrecognizable with masks, lockdowns, illnesses, deaths and extreme pressures on our first responders. Restrictions became the norm and many of us were catapulted into a world we did not know.

As we walked through the Opening, there was much separation and polarity. This polarity intensified our experiences with accusations, fear, warnings and conflict. There were untruths being offered and a sense of not knowing what was actually going on. At the same time, we were worried about our very lives and the lives of others.

What was the nature of this Opening? There are some things we know and some things yet to be revealed. We do know that for some, there was isolation that they had never experienced before. For those with illness, the isolation was acute – not seeing loved ones because they may endanger them. There was a cessation of life as we knew it.

Not Much Space To Acclimate

We have had to adjust to this new world. Some of our adjusting occurred at warp speed and some gradually. We each adjusted in our own way with varying levels of intensity. Did we sleepwalk through our initial steps because this world was so foreign to us? Did we resist change and believe that the world we knew would be back soon? Did we spin theories of what was happening to us, so that life would not seem so uncertain?

One thing is clear, we had little choice in the matter. The pandemic was upon us and some elements of the past as we knew it were gone. We did not have the ease of a slow transition or much time to think about anything. Masks were on, hospitals were filling up and social distancing became the norm. Our lives were changed and that was it.

What happens when there is little space to acclimate to change? We may feel pushed. We may be disoriented. We may be easily irritated. We may try (fruitlessly) to look back to a past that no longer exists. We may be uneasy about a future that has not emerged yet. We are out of our comfort zones, that’s for sure.

Where We Are Now

We are over a year into the changes precipitated by the pandemic. We have grown somewhat accustomed to life as it is now. So many aspects of our lives have been affected – work, socializing, family visits, friendships. We know that some changes are here to stay.

Much is uncertain. We do not know what life will be like a year from now. We are still at risk, as new variants arise. At the same time, there is hope. Some restrictions are easing. We can glimpse getting back into the world. It is a new time of acclimation – to an in-between world. We are readjusting and deciding how we want to live.

There is more familiarity on the part of leaders to the problems we face and the policies we need. Solutions are being developed and tested. We have regained a small amount of control, after feeling no control at all. We are adjusting to the world as it is now. We understand that our future may be very different than our past.

The Road Ahead

What do we do when we cannot see more that a short distance ahead of us? We walk carefully, increase our awareness of what is around us and take good care of ourselves. We find what we can hold onto and we don’t grasp too desperately. We accept the uncertainty of these times. We acknowledge, that like it or not, a profound transformation is taking place in the world.