August always marks the beginning of the year for me. After I return from vacation at the end of July, summer is winding down and the start of the academic year is close at hand. It is time for me to get things in place for the return of students (yay!!) and finalize plans and arrangements. August is the month I create a new file for the next academic year for all my computer documents. It is the new start.
This year, I thought the new start would feel particularly fresh. After over a year of Covid-19 precautions and restrictions, meetings and worship online, precious few in-person gatherings wearing masks and socially distanced, and way too many events cancelled because it just wasn’t safe, vaccines have been a game-changer. It seemed like things were going to be a bit more normal. However, before we really adjusted to living without masks again, the rise in the spread of the virus among unvaccinated people and the virulence of the delta variant has set us back. We are not sure what the months ahead will look like, though we know that vaccines along with continued masking and social distance will help keep our communities safe.
Though I never imagined we would just go back to doing things exactly as we did before the pandemic, I admit that I expected more clarity by this point in time. Things are still very much evolving and there are so many shades of gray as we look toward the coming months. We’ll be wearing masks on campus, but local restaurants are open for in-person dining. Travel is possible and very popular, but it is wise to check on outbreaks and hot-spots before leaving on a trip. The very same vaccines people eagerly signed up for online like fans buying concert tickets are now available without any wait at all and some people are not interested in getting one at all.
It does seem clear that we will be back on campus this fall. In-person instruction, student organization meetings and events, even big-name speakers are all on the schedule. I am deeply grateful that things will be returning to something like normal. Yet, I am also thinking about what pieces of pandemic life I want to maintain. I am also considering some things I want to change.
When everything stopped and we all stayed home, I was not over-booked. My life developed into a routine and rhythm that was a little slower. I cooked more (and that’s saying something). I found time to read and exercise every day. I realized how much I enjoy evenings on the deck overlooking my back yard. I talked to my distant family members more regularly and I did get a little sick of seeing the family members who live in my house.
Moving forward, there are some changes I want to make. Covid kept me from traveling to see people who are important in my life who live in distant places. I want to be intentional about connecting with them more often and more significantly. The need to know what was happening in the nation and the world led me to read and listen to an abundance of news and politics. I want to limit those categories in my reading and make time for more fiction. Staying home gave me a chance to notice how much I have and realize there is much I can pass on to others. I want to continue to clear out and let go of things that could be of more use to others.
The pandemic isn’t done with us. As we move to a new season, when many of us have immunity and are better able to begin returning to the world in some ways, it is time to look around at the things we have learned, and find ways to incorporate them into our lives. Small changes. Big changes. Maybe changes that are not obvious from the outside, but are within us. Returning to more normal life will be a process, and it is likely that none of us will be unchanged.
May we find ways to reshape our lives, building on what we have learned about ourselves and the world in this season of pandemic.
May we who have so much privilege seek out ways to care for our neighbors and the strangers around us.
May the coming months bring health and safety to communities all around the world.
Peace,