Temporary Exemption

When 9/11 occurred, our world was completely changed; but we quickly moved to the new “Post 9/11 World.” As the pandemic hit (and has continued it’s spread), our world has completely changed — but the shift to a “Post COVID World” has not happened yet (and may not for some time.) I am left with this “waiting” feeling that permeates all areas of my life.

Waiting for the pandemic to settle down, waiting for things to go back to normal, waiting to feel something different (something I can’t even quite articulate.) Sitting in the last few days of July, it seems that I will be waiting for some time, so I feel now like I have to settle into this “new (temporary) normal.”

So how do we journey forward when the whole world feels stuck?

I came across this definition for the word grace and it strikes me that this may need to be my mantra for the time being.

Grace: a temporary exemption

What would it look like if I gave myself a temporary exemption from the “normal” life I used to have — from the “normal” way I worked, the “normal” way I interacted with my friends, the “normal” way I planned my day/week/year, the “normal” way I lived my life?

I can give myself a temporary exemption from the expectations that I have for myself and that others have for me, especially if those expectations are under “normal” circumstances that do not exist anymore.

What would it look like if you gave yourself a temporary exemption?

Would it give you the space to take a few deep breaths? Would it give you a bit more strength for the long haul? Would it allow you to settle in a bit to the “new (temporary) normal?” Would it make it easier to give others a temporary exemption from the expectations you have of them?”

Grace: a temporary exemption

I encourage you to give yourself grace as you navigate these uncertain times, remembering that we are not all in the same situation but that we all share the desire to move forward through the waiting times, to the “new normal.”