I was trying to tie a special necktie the other day in an unusual knot that I rarely use, and I had to think hard to remember how to do it. I hadn’t tied that tie in two years. There was no need for neckties on Zoom. It was a reminder that as pre-pandemic routines slowly return, I’m going to have to recover/re-create some skills and memories. And a reminder that that process of recovery may include feelings, frustrations and decisions.
I think we all imagined that the “return” to “normal” would be automatic and easy. But no one imagined it would take two years. It’s good for me to remember that less than half of Yale undergrads have any memory of my “normal.” So I need to work on my patience and trying to remember why we “always did it that way.” And perhaps it’s time to say that the way we always did it wasn’t special or perfect – it was just the best way we knew – often hit on by trial and error. So maybe it’s time to re-examine whether that “old” way, as comfortable as it is for me, is actually the best way. And what we learned during lockdown and Zoom that was actually helpful.
There really is going to be no going back to the past. Things have changed. God give me the grace to reclaim what is best, and let go of the rest.