Tuesday, January 19, 2021

"Mamma Mia! Here we go again!"

 2012 to 2021

 Nine years have passed. 

Last I wrote a blog post my oldest was 2 years old. I think my mind just broke a little. 

Thinking over the last almost decade, wow. 

 W.O.W. 

How incredibly different my life looks as compared to the 9 years younger me.  I was just attempting to mentally sum up how life has changed from 2012 to now in one word.  I simply cannot do it!  

9 years ago I was just entering into the journey of motherhood and marriage, too!  I barely felt like an adult and suddenly I was adulting in a major way.  How quaint my previous posts seem to me now...a few recipes...being home sick.  Perfect reflection of where I was at the time.  

In some ways nothing has changed.  I still love to cook and try new recipes (which I instantly choose to not follow exactly, sorry Mom) and missing home.  Home is a different entity now, though.  It is less of a place and now more about people and emotions.  

I am fully aware of how cliche it is for me to write about life right now in light of pandemic.  But, that is life right now.  Almost a year ago how naive the world was.  In many ways happily living life.  Enjoying things like travel, restaurants, toilet paper and good health.  Those things are luxuries to many now!  

But, if I had to be completely honest, I'm not sure I would want to go back to those times.  Because, while life seemed so carefree and busy, it was also lonely.  Lonely in the busyness if that even makes sense!  

When our life moved into "lock down" I thought well now what to do?  Two kids at home and none of our normal outlets available to us.  But, you know what?  While I was told to change all the ways I was physically living, I decided that perhaps I also needed a change in how I was thinking as well.  I am not going to lie and say each day was blissful in our pandemic isolation.  However, changing my thoughts to be purposeful in finding the life where we could made each day easier.  As the mind habits changed, my heart changed, too.  Thank God!  

And this was when I started to notice the fatigue of others.  The loneliness fatigue.  It takes time for fatigue to mount and these signs of fatigue revealed themselves very quickly.  What does that mean?  I had a suspicion.  

Lonely in the busyness of life.  I believe most people, dare I say all people, were struggling in this for some time.  It is easy to miss the signs.  I certainly can masks the signs of loneliness very well.  Add another activity, organize a room (kon mari anyone?), take a class, work harder and smarter!  See, so much to do!  How can anyone this busy be lonely?! 

Then, having many of these techniques stripped away, there it was: the loneliness.  Our lives losing so many things created a vacuum of loneliness.  

People need people.  Even the people who say they hate people need another person to share that sentiment with!  

So, no, I do not want to go back to whatever we called normal, whether it was nine years ago or just one year ago.  I choose to live in this knew knowledge of our vast loneliness because I also know how to fill that void.  Jesus taught His disciples this answer in John 13:34-35:

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

I know I cannot stop a global health crisis.  But, with the love Christ has shown me, I can love others and do my part in healing loneliness.  

I hope this offers encouragement to you!  



And, hopefully, my blog will not become lonely for another nine years! 

1 comment:

  1. Beautifully written! Such a pure heart for Christ. Love you, friend.

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