By Betsy Gonwa, 
Sometimes we purposefully seek spiritual growth. Other times, we are thrust into life circumstances that force us to grow and change. The pandemic has been one of those times. It stopped us all in our tracks. Two years have passed, and now the world seems like it’s rushing to return to the frenzied life of pre-pandemic. I remember the quietness and comparative emptiness of the nearby interstate when everything was closed and the traffic of the daily morning commute had diminished. These days it feels like just outside my door is the pulsing throng of a busy city sidewalk ready to absorb me into the crowd. But before I step into the current that would carry me along, it seems prudent to contemplate what has changed in me and in my life and which changes I want to keep.
Some changes are obvious. Zoom is a way I attend meetings and read bedtime stories to my grandchildren. The number of face-to-face interactions with others has diminished. The number of social events I attend is smaller. The overall pace of my life has slowed. About myself, I believe I am more appreciative of the opportunities to connect in person with my children, grandchildren, and friends. I give taking time to be in nature a higher priority. I relish moments of stillness and quiet in my slower paced life.
There are things I do want as part of my life again. I have missed laughter and its infectious quality. I have missed singing together. I have missed hugs. I have missed conversing face to face. These simple gifts have become more precious to me since they were taken away. I hope I do not fall into taking them for granted.
My own personal choices seem small and insignificant, but this is not necessarily so. If I consider that together our choices determine our communal reality then I must acknowledge that, whether I want them to or not, my choices will impact the whole. With this view in mind, what I choose takes on greater importance. So, I am giving serious thought to what I have missed and what I have come to value during these two years. What changes do I want to keep and in what ways will I return to what was?
How have you changed as a result of the pandemic? What have you missed that you want to reinstate? And what changes do you want to keep?
