Can you believe it? We’ve managed to reach the end of our second quarter of 12 months of TGIF articles. It’s been a good year, so far. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, too. You are always welcome to contribute an article (< 500 words) to this blog. Just write to admin@gbrra.org and we can arrange something, I'm sure. I'm happy to have reached this milestone. Recently, I've been thinking about balance: for example, in our lifestyles, in our 'new normal', or in our daily activities. We've all experienced some degree of change. How much of that will stay with us after the pandemic? How much have we learned about a different kind of balance — maybe taking more time to sleep, to go outdoors for exercise, or to cook dinner (Yum!). Whatever we’ve done to adjust, over the past 16 months, for work, school or entertainment, some of it is certain to affect our daily routines, long-term and for the better. Maybe we’re just spending less…
It’s a new balance that many of us have settled into. For the children, it has been difficult, because they need certainty and security, while they learn new things. Not knowing what was ahead, watching the rest of the family make necessary changes, and missing their friends was very destabilizing for some. I really hope they have found some nice changes — a new sense of balance that feels good. Generally speaking, children adapt quickly to change, if the important people in their lives are adapting with them. I can remember, as a child, moving to a new home, and how wonderful it was (Little did I know!). For sure, my parents were instrumental in making it a good experience.
Still, I have to say, TV and the internet have provided amazing links for many of us who have had to (or who wanted to) stay 2 metres away from other people. I have watched so much TV and so many online webinars and presentations, that sometimes I have neglected getting out for a walk, a bike ride or just gardening. I used the excuse that the weather was bad, but really, I wanted to be part of something online. My children live in different faraway places, so Zoom has won me over — we can talk for hours, for free! And we can share our computer (or phone) screens, to show our latest developments. That’s a change that I’ve embraced wholeheartedly. However, I’m still learning how to balance the time I spend on the computer with the time I give to ‘live’ events, like weeding my garden (Huh!) or repairing that little something-or-other. A new balance is definitely settling in for me and I welcome most of the changes…
My mother used to say: A change is as good as a holiday. Let’s make the best of it!
Fiona