Tighten that Grip
For the past year, most of us have lived in a smaller world with a tighter grip where safety is concerned. Increasing in direct proportion to the amount of anxiety in the atmosphere, we cleaned and sanitized surfaces that we had previously never thought of as needing attention. The list of tasks grew, the products to clean with disappeared from the shelves and the black market for sanitizer outpaced the number of security guards at the market. We realized that our cavalier attitude toward our surroundings might cost us a trip to the hospital. We double knotted our masks, covered our faces and hands and returned to the safest place we could find – home.
Hold on
Spending time at home increased our awareness of how inadequately we had prepared our bunkers. Again, cleaning and sanitizing while kondoing our closets and drawers, we began to see what we truly owned. Next, we had to figure out what we loved and jettison whatever wasn’t necessary. Creating a workspace at home became a project, especially if there were multiple users. Hearing the frustrated reactions of a family all experiencing Internet issues in different areas of the same house alerted you to the shared anguish. Realizing that children needed to be nearby for assistance taxed everyone and reliving elementary school math became traumatizing. Eventually, there were good shared times with puzzles and games. DIY projects could finally be completed or at the very least started and abandoned.
Open handed Grip
As in all things, we adapted. Humans are so good at that. It wasn’t always enjoyable but it became predictable and we like that. Dancing with family members became acceptable since there were no friends to see us in person. And that stuff on the Internet will all disappear anyway, right? It’s even easier not to think about what jiggles on our bodies knowing that we were well fed prisoners during our quarantine. We’ll always have the memories of all that bread to keep us warm. Being stranded with others was rewarding because you knew that there was always someone near enough to hold our hands at odd times, snuggle with us under weighted blankets and read or walk around the block and wave at all the people who really live in our neighborhood. The day to day world changed slowly enough to notice.
Releasing the Grip
Time didn’t stand still though. Spring came and flowers bloomed and pollen made us stare at anyone who sneezed. We began to feel lighter and realized that the tight hold we had on ourselves and life was starting to loosen. We could stray a little farther away without worrying about wiping down every inch of our belongings or wearing layers of protective gear. There is still so much to move through. Eventually, we will have to face what we want to retain from this intense time away and discover what we want to hold onto when we go back out. Our grip might not be as tight on everything but I bet from time to time our response to tighten up might occur without thought. It is right there that I will want to look down and see what I am holding onto. That will be someone or something I am taking with me into the future.
What do you want to continue with in life now that you have a choice? When do you feel your grip tighten? Can you open your hands fully again?
