The Re-Emergence

Since March 2020, how many times have we heard or even said the phrase, “Get back to normal?” Over the past year we have cried, lamented, mourned loved ones, and have had to create a new sense of normalcy. New habits have been formed and possibly some new traditions. Now, here we are in June 2021 and beginning to re-emerge into the world. This is the moment that we have been longing to achieve for over a year; and, now that we are here, some of us are feeling a bit uneasy. 

As I reflect over the last year, where we have been and are now, it reminds me of another period in time. A few years ago, a tornado touched down in our neighborhood. I remember so much about that day and how my husband and I felt. We were going along as usual until my sister in New York called to ask us about a CNN report that a tornado was heading our way. We weren’t too disturbed but turned on the local news just in case. Much to our surprise, it was coming our way and we had to quickly take cover. Just as we had heard described before, there was a lot of wind and a sound like a train approaching. That’s the last we heard as we ran into a closet. 

There was no way to know when it was safe to come out, so we took a calculated risk based on how long we had been waiting. At first, we were hesitant to emerge. Was it safe? Had the tornado actually moved on or were we still in danger? We had no way of knowing for sure.

Once we were out, we looked around the house and everything seemed to be in order. What a relief!!! But as we took a look out the front window, we saw debris in the street and had a sinking feeling that something was amiss. That same uneasiness settled on us as we took tentative steps out of our front door. What was that in the street and from where was it coming?

My husband quickly realized that the debris was home insulation. At first it was just a small amount; but more and more kept coming. As he explained to me what it was, I was scared to look up at our home. If that insulation was from our house, that meant that the front had been sheared off. (And, by the way, we were planning to put our house on the market in two days.) 

I don’t know how long I stood on the porch afraid to descend the steps and investigate. What finally propelled me forward was the sight of a neighbor running down the street crying. I couldn’t understand what she was saying, so I ran behind her to find out what was happening. Unfortunately, I saw something that will forever be seared in my memory. I saw an indescribable amount of destruction. 

When I finally returned home, my husband told me that the house seemed to be fine. We sighed an uneasy sigh of relief, and it took us days to admit to each other that we were afraid of what we couldn’t see. That night, neither one of us slept. There was no power, so our only connection with the world was a battery-operated radio that we kept on all night. As I stared at the ceiling that night, I longed to be transported back in time before the tornado. 

For the next few months, we were shell-shocked, afraid, and angry. We clung to each other and scriptures and measured every period of time as pre- and post-tornado. There were several difficult days, quite a few tears, and ultimately a resolve that we would recover.

We finally sold the house about three years later; but it wasn’t until then that we finally felt that we had fully survived that trauma. However, we have recognized that we were forever changed that April afternoon. We don’t take tornado watches and warnings lightly. We have a designated safe space in our home and an escape route out of the city, if needed.

So, what does a reflection about a tornado have to do with a global pandemic? Actually, there are quite a few similarities.

How many of us heard about a virus in China in early 2020 and didn’t give it a second thought? For some of us, it was just a passing news story. We started to hear more and more about it; but, still until what seemed like a freight train was coming, we didn’t give it that much thought. Then, what seemed like the blink of an eye, we took shelter in our homes. Once in our homes, we were faced with unspeakable and unimaginable loss.

While we have stared at our ceilings, we have longed to get back to normal. But, what does normal really look like? Is there such a thing?

We have taken tentative steps to re-engage with the familiar; but there remains an uneasiness. Should we wear masks or not? If so, when and where? Do we trust the Center of Disease Control? What germs are lurking that we don’t see? There still remains a lot of unknowns. However, just like that time years ago when my husband and I made a conscious decision to recover, we are all doing the same now.  

Even with this resolve, we know for sure that some things will be forever changed. For one thing, we will never look at toilet paper the same (😊). Some relationships have evolved in ways that would have never happened before. Even kids are happy to return to school (unimaginable)!  

Without a doubt, each of us will reach a milestone that will assure us that this pandemic is finally behind us. It will be different for each of us and reached at different times; but we will surely get there. While some are throwing their doors wide open to greet the world, others are taking baby steps. 

There is no right answer. So, as we travel on this journey back to normal, let’s pack our bags with love, patience, and lots of empathy. The road might not be easy, but we are getting there.