How did we get to this strange and unfamiliar place in our history? I remember reading about pandemics in high school in the early ’80s. It was a vague concept in which a lot of people got sick and died.

During those times, the sickness took over. Pharmaceuticals were limited. Medical technologies were rudimentary at best.

Now here we are.

2020.

By all accounts, the numbers of dead and sick are rising daily.

And the way to stay safe? Shelter in place. Wear a mask if going out. But for now, Shelter In Place.

As I write this in April 2020, we are shell-shocked by orders to stay home, businesses shutting down or moving all employees home, schools shifting to remote learning, grocery stores raided and stripped bare….

What a strange time. Right? So how do we stay connected in this time of ‘social distancing’ – a way of living that keeps humans safely away from one another?

Humans thrive on connections.

Surely, this will be bad for everyone, right?

Or will it?

In the past two weeks, I’ve seen more families out riding bikes together in our neighborhood than I have in the two years we’ve lived here.

Neighbors are connecting as we smile and wave when out for a walk – at a safe distance, of course.

We are taking back our hours. We are filling them with family time instead of mobile device time, reading and napping time instead of constant grind time, face to face interactions as telecommunication tools such as Zoom become the norm to fill our human need for connection.

Creatives have stepped up. Yoga, guitar lessons, singing, drawing, creative writing… you name it. People are finding ways to connect.

My heart smiles to see the subtle shifts in behaviors. Or, maybe not so subtle..

Will this new focus on our homes and families change how we live, going forward, or will we revert back to our old ways as soon as ‘the coast is clear’?

What will we learn from this forced shift in focus? Will our world be irrevocably changed by 2020?

I wonder about these things.