2021...Defining What Normal Is

We’re done with 2020…we can go back to normal, right? No…we didn’t get a miracle do over when the clock turned midnight, but we did get a new year to do the way we want to do it. I know there will still be restrictions with the pandemic not yet under control, and things will be different than they were before we all heard the words Covid-19 but maybe that’s part of how our lives are transformed. Maybe it’s up to all of us to create the world we want to live in, the feelings we want to experience, the people we want to be.

When we say we want things to go back to normal, most people I know talk about the ability to gather in groups – with families, friends, co-workers, to not worry about becoming ill or making someone else ill, traveling, participating in activities or athletic events, kids getting schooling in a physical classroom, and a few other things. Most people I know also found things during this time that they had forgotten they loved to do or hadn’t had time to do because of busy schedules…family dinners, old hobbies, cooking, playing board games, watching movies or tv as a family, sleeping and working out more, and just being at home.

As we all leap into 2021, we get to decide what is important to us. What pre-Covid traditions are important that we want to bring into the new year? What Covid-period activities do we want to bring into 2021? When most have received the vaccine and many of the safety concerns are passed, what do we want our lives to look like? What if “normal” in 2021 is prioritizing time with family and friends and community over hours worked and dollars earned?

2020 was also a year that moved gender and racial equity up on many organizational, community, and family agendas. We all had the opportunity to hold a mirror up to our own beliefs and actions and evaluate if they were still valid and right. As we move into 2021, we need to make decisions for ourselves on how we want to continue the dialogue and what actions we personally need to take. What if “normal” in 2021 was racial and gender equity for all? Yes, we have a long way to go but why shouldn’t we expect that to be normal? If we start behaving as if anything else is abnormal, we’re on the right track….we will start making progress.

What if “normal” was more about who we want to be and how we want to show up in the world rather than being known for what we did? What if “normal” was about prioritizing others above ourselves? What if “normal” was about love winning out over hate?

We all have control over 4 things…what we do, what we think, how much effort we put out, and how we react to the situations around us. This means that every day and every hour, we make a lot of choices. Those choices will help define what the “normal” version of 2021 is for each of us.

What would be the “normal” that you want in your life and that of your family? What would the “normal” be in your workplace or your community or your church?

What choices will we make around the world we live in for 2021?

I’d vote for dreaming big about the world you want to create and live in.