How often have I said over the past year, “When things get back to normal…” knowing full well that I do not want to return to many of the ways that things were, nor call them normal. Yet life has a sense of suspended reality to it. It’s difficult to live in the present when everything feels like it is shifting on a continuous basis. As with any change, the challenge is to find a new normal when we aren’t even sure what is possible. I’ve reflected with several people about this topic and we can all find things that we want to be a part of a new normal:
- Daily practice of self-care.
- Daily walk(s), especially exploring one’s own city, roads, or parks.
- Slowing down with family.
- Playing music/singing on a daily basis.
- Investing time and energy into the things that give back to us.
As the Worship Committee met last fall, we began to see a theme emerge in the speakers that were being proposed: they all spoke to what was being unveiled during this time of change. Our speakers in 2021 will engage some of the systems, practices, and opportunities that we may want to consider for a new normal. As we begin a New Year, let us take time to listen to that which calls us to reconnect as a global community whose fate and health are interconnected.
In peace,
Stacy Craig