Will Things Ever Be the Same?

With the latest wave of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus, many of us are wondering if things will ever get back to normal.

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been under the influence of Covid for over 24 months. Some days it feels that the grip on society is lighter and other times, tighter.

How do you frame all the uncertainty?

I’m reminded of the Serenity Prayer by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

For Covid, what are the things you can change and those you can’t?

For starters, you can always change your thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. You can choose how you view the pandemic and your role in it. Are you a victim or a participant?

We are going through a shift. The world is different than it was. As with any large change, there are things we like about it and things that are difficult for us to accept. When we resist, it’s doubly difficult.

One of the things I’ve learned most during the past several years is that things will happen as they will. And, in spite of our ego-driven desires, the things that happen are helpful in their own way.

Things will never go back to where they were. Things will continue to evolve. The challenge we all have is to focus on what we want.

What do you want your future to be (and the answer can’t be “as it was”)? You can think about what you liked about the way it was. Was it the people you interacted with, or the things you were able to do? If so, what is it about those interactions or activities?

2022 will definitely be different from 2021 and all the other years in the past. Things will never be the same. It’s up to you to imagine and create the future you want by looking forward.