Photo by Gabe Pierce on Unsplash

If there is one thing I hear over and over again during this stay-at-home Corona-quarantine time is that people are longing to “get back to normal.” I get the sentiment. For the last 50 days, we have been homeschooling four kids while Andrea and I do our best to work from home. The normal routines and rhythms of our days and weeks have been disrupted. Let’s be honest, we’re tired of seeing each other all day every day! (I’ve got to keep it real!)

What if “getting back to normal” is the worse thing we could do?

I’m not talking about re-opening the economy “getting back to normal.” I’m talking about “How I live my life ‘getting back to normal.'”

The last fifty days have taught a lot of us some new skills and abilities. It’s taught many families to live together, to have more meals together, and to be more involved in the educational process. I’ve seen pictures on Facebook of families hiking together, doing family Olympics and other creative efforts, and sharing the cooking responsibilities. Families are worshipping together, doing Sunday School lessons together, and having time for more conversations. Sure, it’s not been perfect and hasn’t worked for everyone, but the Corona outbreak has created more space for our families to thrive.

The Corona outbreak has caused a disruption in just about every aspect of our lives. This disruption has brought about adaptation and innovation. In our families, it has created the opportunity to make new rhythms and to chart new courses for our families to journey. Why would we want to “get back to normal” if that normal is not where we want our families to be? Why would we want to return to a “run ourselves ragged rat-race” that leaves little time for the things we really find important?

I hope we don’t return to normal. I hope that my family and yours will adapt, innovate and ultimate re-calibrate to focus on what is most important. That way, when we can leave our homes or return to work/school that we do not lose the soul of our families.

What is a new rhythm that your family has created during quarantine time?