There’s no normal to return to.....

Yes, that’s an awkward sentence. And it’s true. I keep hearing people say they will be happy when life returns to normal. The normal they are referring to no longer exists. Just like people who want to return to the 1950’s, the people who want to return to December 2019 (or November 2016) are in for a big disappointment.

The world is going through a huge reset and there is no going back. What we used to know as normal no longer exists. Here’s the good news: we get to start over. We get to design our lives to be something new. Instead of sitting around bemoaning the loss of our jobs or businesses or friends since the pandemic, this is the time to sit down, reflect and dig deep.

Many of us have to take a good long look at our lives, at our work, at our homes and businesses and ask: what now? What is my next step? If I can no longer do this or that, what can I do? Am I going to have to learn a new craft? If so, what and how? If I own a business that is no longer in demand, how am I going to reinvent myself? How can I take my current skills and interests and turn them into a service or goods other people might want or need?

I guess I’m a little ahead of the game because I had to reinvent my business in 2015 when it became very clear that financial support for print newspapers had mostly disappeared. It was devastating for me because I loved publishing a spiritually-oriented print newspaper. Fortunately, we had already established our presence online and we reinvented ourselves. Since then, I have had to do this more than once. It’s never easy. It’s never comfortable. And it always ends up with things better than they were before.

It’s easy to panic or be depressed right now. Especially with what’s happening politically in our country, it’s easy to fall into the place of feeling that your life is over and what’s the point of trying to make things better. Do we just have to submit to the train wreck happening right in front of us? No, we don’t and we shouldn’t. It’s good to experience and release whatever feelings you might be experiencing. Just don’t let yourself live there. Express. Release. Take action and move on.

Be open to new ideas, to the new ways we’re all going to be facing as we move forward. Allow yourself to see this as exciting rather than something to fear. We’re designing and birthing new normals. This isn’t an easy process, but the more we can live from this place of openness, the sooner we’ll see what our next steps are - both on a personal and planetary basis. Be kind to yourself and others as we go through this huge upheaval. Use some of your downtime to rest, daydream, and play. When the engine gets going again and the train starts to move in a more positive direction, you’ll be glad you did. Hang on for the ride of your life!

One of my 2025 wall calendars with my original watercolor art might help support you in this coming year.

You can purchase the Be Quiet. Allow. one here.

And you can get the Living in Grace and Ease one here.

Living in grace and ease,

Krysta