“The world went & got itself in a big damn hurry”. Anyone recognize this quote? It’s from one of my all-time favorite movies, Shawshank Redemption. This quote has crossed my mind at least 20 times in the past couple months & it gets louder & louder in my head each day.
I keep thinking of what Brooks Hatley said in his letter to Andy Dufresne, ‘Red’ & co because it’s true… we have gotten ourselves in a BIG DAMN HURRY & now we’ve been put in a bit of a time-out, we’re being forced to slow the hell down. We’re being made to spend quiet, easy time with the ones we love. We’re remembering the simple joy of baking cookies together or playing a board game, renting a movie, doing a craft, gardening, taking a dang walk outdoors. We’ve been awakened to appreciation for the utmost basic things—a cheerfully sunny day, birds crooning, vibrant flowers wriggling through spring’s soil (holy daffodils!), good health, a warm home & bed, enough groceries in our freezers & pantries, a job, a school teacher, healthcare workers, money in our bank account, toilet paper :). We’re doing things we’ve always meant to but never carved out time for— learning guitar, honing our cooking skills, taking an online course, reading a book, restoring cabinets, deep-cleaning that tile grout. We’re howling from windows, singing from balconies, letting the melodies of our instruments dance on an evening breeze for everyone, anyone to hear— aspiring for nothing more than a connection, a chance to bring someone hope, a smile, some peace amidst this chaos, confusion.
The million dollar question I continually ask myself is: where will we go from here? When the world is healthy, back on its proper axis & all our freedoms are restored, markets have rebounded, adults are back at work, kids are back at school (there are hints that this is on its way with several countries moving to the next, more relaxed phase of their lockdown) -- how will we be changed, what lessons will we take from our shelter in place days? For many, the simple answer will be none. They’ll topple over one another in an all-out mad dash to reclaim their previous life, previous habits, merging thoughtlessly back into the daily grind. For others, & I aspire to be part of this group, it’ll be near impossible to go back to who we were. We’ll want more, we’ll need less. We’ll take more time for ourselves, for our family & friends, take less for granted. We’ll question if something is truly needed, if we’re truly happy in our friendships, relationships & careers. We’ll be more thoughtful with our day-to-day hygiene, remembering that there are people who can suffer gravely from COVID, the common flu, pneumonia & more. We’ll count ourselves lucky to have a strong immune system & perhaps fuel our bodies more nutritiously to keep it that way.
I find this very bizarre time & space we’re currently in mildly annoying, quite heartbreaking, & oddly, cozy. Cozy like when it’s a blustery winter day & people are huddled up at home, temporarily blowing off their ‘bigger picture’, hunkered down until the storm passes. We grumble & gripe about cancelled school, a missed meeting or less-than-uber-productive workday, but in realty— there’s some intimate sweetness mixed in here, too.
Sometime during your Coronavirus lockdown/shelter in place, take a few minutes & listen to Trace Adkins song “You’re Gonna Miss This”. It’s about a girl who rushes through stages of life – first apartment, marriage, kids – aspiring toward what’s next, not appreciating her here & now. For many, Spring 2020 will be a bleary ‘rush through’ of days, weeks, months, with an end that can’t come soon enough. This lockdown will be nothing more than a time to forget… a bad memory to block out once those freedom gates lift. Yet I’d bet, in that ‘hindsight is 20/20’ kind of way, many of us will (someday) look back at this once-in-a-lifetime, unhurried, unfettered, ultra-simplified, remembering-what-&-WHO-mattered-most chapter with such wistfulness, & perhaps a smidge of regret, too, for not appreciating time well-wasted.
Friends, don’t squander this never-before, likely never-again opportunity to tick some boxes off that to do list, rethink your priorities, rewrite some rules, reconnect with your kids & spouse, reimagine your tomorrows, slow the hell down & hit that blissful ‘reset’ button. Enjoy the relax of no make-up, messy hair, sweats that have been worn a few days too long… Savor those games & movies, home-baked goodies, midweek Zooms with great friends & good wine… Giggle at the noontimes you’ve looked quizzically at the ceiling, wondering if you’ve brushed your teeth yet… Puff up with pride admiring the accomplishments - even the smallest ones - that you tackled during a most difficult time. Breathe in the slowness & stillness of the earth, your country, your community, your family, you. Because, as Mr. Adkins so eloquently says,
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this
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