“There is a lot of talk about returning to ‘normal’ after the COVID-19 outbreak. But normal was a crisis.”

Greta Thunberg

Chasing time, running, always running. Juggling, always juggling, trying to keep all the balls in the air at all times – and failing, inevitably. No matter what, there was always too much to remember, to keep track of. Making lists upon lists, crossing something off, writing a new thing on. Throwing load after load of laundry in the machine and somehow never making a dent in the pile. Running to get milk. And forgetting the eggs. And the bread. And sometimes even the milk. Going to bed tired after a day when I didn’t get as much done as I needed or wanted. Waking up to an alarm and starting ALL. OVER. AGAIN.

If this was my normal, I hope I never go back to it. It wasn’t the way life should be, and it’s not what I want to return to. Normal for me used to mean feeling tied down to household chores and being unmotivated about my business. It also meant lacking a proper routine, craving time to myself, not feeling like I had solid friendships, and stressing about making dinner. Every. Single. Night.

I’m slowly realising this doesn’t have to be my only normal, or my ANYthing normal. I can create my new normal, and I will.

But life happened, and with Corona came contradictions. It brought everything to a standstill while acting as a wake up call for me, and for many people I know. But while my body slowed down, ideas took shape, developing a life of their own. It struck me that I didn’t want to continue pursuing my Ebay business anymore. Why? Because it simply wasn’t enhancing my life in any way. And maybe, just maybe, it never was. It just added stress, and the demands I put upon myself to achieve left me feeling incomplete.

But with these decisions come questions: how do I get to where I want to be? I know I’m not the only one trying to make sense of this changing world. But do I want things to return to normal? Definitely not. Do you? I want to see positive change in the world at large. I believe in mankind, especially the kind part. I’ve seen the kindness in people, but I want to see more of it. I believe most people are, essentially good. I believe in the power of humanity, and I believe as a society we all want to see positive change.

For me, its all about the small things. The other day I was walking into Coles and I witnessed an older woman approach a ‘Big Issue’ seller stationed at his regular spot and thank him for doing his job and bringing her a bit of happiness. As I walked away, I heard the seller’s voice follow me down the walkway, magnified and larger than life, “Thank you, thank you so much. Thank you.” THAT is what I want to see more of. That is the life I hope we’ve been silently building all these months. And maybe, just maybe, if enough people approach a random stranger to thank them, like this woman did, we’ll get there. We’ll build ourselves a beautiful world.