What If We Have Already Forgotten? By Pennie Hunt

“What if we have been forced to slow down? To listen. To see things again- the things we take for granted and the things we miss in our hurried lives.”

I was feeling lonely, isolated, and confused. It was three weeks into the Covid shutdown of 2020 when I wrote a column titled, “What If?” I wrote about all the things I was missing. Hugs from my family, lunch with my friends, date nights with my husband, and running to the grocery store without thinking about risking my life. It was an unusual, frightening, and confusing time.

One day I ventured outside for a walk. A walk that spurred me to write this:
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I looked up to the bluest sky I have ever seen that was speckled with cotton-white clouds. In the silence of not hearing traffic or the noise of daily life, I heard birds. Birds singing glorious songs with their choir of friends. I saw carefree bunnies scampering through yards. 

It felt slow. 
It felt quiet. 
It felt peaceful. 
It felt fresh and new. 
It felt different.

What if this is the message of this virus? The message to slow down. To listen. To see things again- the things we take for granted and the things we miss in our hurried lives.
What if the speed at which our life and world had gotten to was spinning so fast that we were heading for an implosion? What if this is it?
What if we needed a shake-down? A wake-up call to be grateful for what is important.

As the days go by, I realize how grateful I am for simplicity. How grateful I am for food, water, and the shelter of my home. How grateful I am for the security of love from my family and friends. How grateful I am for dinner and movie dates with my husband at home with our sweet dogs snuggled next to us.

I realize what I miss. I miss smiles and hugs. I miss cheek kisses. I miss the touch of my loved ones and voices that are not muffled by technology. I miss the freedom to move in whatever direction I desire.
The uncertainty of not knowing how or when this will end is nerve-racking and I don’t have the answers. I do know that the most important lessons are taught in the most difficult of times. I do know that the sky is bluer, the birds are singing louder, and the world has slowed to a pace that we need to remember when this time of hunkering down ends.
What if it is time to listen to the quiet?
What if it is time for you to take a walk?
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That was four years ago. Some thrived in the quiet and the slowing of time. Some felt financial and mental pressure to the point of disaster. Either way, life changed.
Relationships changed. People got divorced. People got married. A spotlight was put on mental health care. The way work is done changed. Working remotely and flexible work arrangements became more common and acceptable. The supply change disruptions of food and products caused us to plan better and adapt and adjust to cost, availability, and delivery times.

For me, I believe the most important changes are the ones I feel. The time of quiet and solitude that the pandemic forced us into has become a memory. The learnings of being grateful for what we have and slowing down the out-of-control speed of our lives have faded. I feel an undercurrent of anger and a weakening of trust. Uncertainty has become a feeling we carry. Skepticism and suspicion nip at our feet. The speed of life is back or even increased, and we cannot predict or prepare for where it is going.

It has been four years, and now more than ever we need to realize that we are all in this life together. I still believe that the most important lessons are taught in the most difficult of times. And I feel these are difficult times.   

What if we have already forgotten the lessons?
What if this is still the message? The message to slow down. To listen. To see things again- the things we take for granted and the things we miss in our hurried lives.
What if the speed at which our lives and the world move is still too fast?
What if it is time for you to take a walk, find some quiet, and once again be grateful for what is important?
 
What if it is time to remember what we have so quickly forgotten?
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                                                  Pennie's Life Lesson:
            The most important lessons are taught in the most difficult of times.
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YOUR TURN...        
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