As we move beyond our time of sheltering in place, how are we going to make the most of these past few weeks?
What are we going to do to ensure that quarantine was not a waste?
There is an image floating around on social media of an open refrigerator door, with a note posted on the inside that read: You’re not hungry. Close the door.
My name is Samantha. I am a grazer.
This isn’t a new revelation for me. Last year I did a fad diet called Whole 30. For 30 days, I avoided eating certain foods to allow my body to heal and offset cravings and snacking for the end of having something to do or to cope with emotions. After the 30 days, I gradually reintroduced those foods into my diet to test for sensitivity.
The first two weeks of Whole 30 magnified my attachment to sugar and snacking. God’s grace was sufficient to push through crankiness that accompanied the afternoon slump. I drowned my sorrows in a bag of carrots instead of a pint of ice cream. Though the struggle was real, after the week two hump, I began experiencing benefits such as increased focus and more consistent energy levels through the afternoon
At the end of the 30 days, in the period of reintroduction, I surprised myself. Though there were certain foods that I really enjoy and missed, I didn’t miss them as much as I thought. Wine is nice, but I don’t like it enough to have with dinner each night. While bread and cheese are good, they aren’t essential to the everyday diet.
With some determination and self-control, I learned what was necessary and what was just nice to have. It was the third grade social studies lesson of Needs vs. wants all over again.
I know that some of us were affected by COVID in very extreme ways, such as sickness or job loss. I don’t want to downplay the difficulty of that reality.
For others of us, we were, in a sense, living in a Whole 30 of our lives.
Before sheltering in place, some of us may have been great.
Others of us experienced overwhelming stress or a sense of lost control in the day to day grind. Instead of scaling back on activities, we needlessly packed even more things into our already full schedule because they felt good or because they kept us occupied and passed the time.
And then the pandemic hit.
We were forced to eliminate things from our daily routine. We kept people safe by staying at home, telling our parents to stay at home, are working remotely if we can, experiencing worry in a time of uncertainty, schooling our kids at home, having family dinners, taking time to pray and be in relationship with God, recognizing our powerlessness, practicing gratitude. Some of us are getting more sleep, eating better, or are less inclined to be on devices.
Though the extra things were nice, we are growing to see that life can be different, and we can go on without.
Before the pandemic, life was what we considered normal. We now live in the abnormal. After COVID-19, will we go back to normal?
Or will we be empowered to establish a new normal?
Life is a matter of choices, often choosing between options that are good. I think we can all agree that making choices that truly align with our priorities and contribute to our values breeds the sense of authenticity and peace.
We have been given the gift and freedom to reset and evaluate. I invite you and your families to reflect on the good you experienced over these past few weeks and create a concrete game plan of how to make this time a movement in our lives.
What is worth reintroducing?
What contributes to our holiness and fosters our relationships?
What things detract and distract us from God and others?
Have each person in your family share what they liked the most about sheltering in place, and brainstorm ways that we can continue these traditions or habits.
James Chapter 1 reads “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like.”
When we set our sights on what is important, let us look back at this time and think to ourselves “Remember when we were quarantined? My life is now better because of it.”
Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was, in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
More Catholic Resources
- Guess That Saint! October EditionFacebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn October is full of some powerhouse saints. Can you guess these saints? Tip: All of the answers are listed as “St.”, not “Saint.” You’ll get the answer wrong if you type out the word saint so be sure to abbreviate it for the sake of winning this fun game. Challenge… Read more: Guess That Saint! October Edition
- We Can’t Have Two Masters | Breaking Bread Gospel ReflectionFacebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Jesus said to his disciples:“The person who is trustworthy in very small mattersis also trustworthy in great ones;and the person who is dishonest in very small mattersis also dishonest in great ones.If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,who will trust you with true wealth?If you are not trustworthy… Read more: We Can’t Have Two Masters | Breaking Bread Gospel Reflection
- Catholic Review: St. Bernadette’s Grit, Guts, And GraceFacebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn The drama of this saint’s story arrives to U.S. cinemas September 28 and 29. Every live theater lover longs for a remarkable and spellbinding connection during the show. Bernadette of Lourdes: The Musical offers exactly that—a spectacular work for both the faithful and the secular, carrying the audience into the… Read more: Catholic Review: St. Bernadette’s Grit, Guts, And Grace
- 4 Beautiful Catholic Shrines In The U.S. To Visit With KidsFacebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn These family-friendly pilgrimage destinations offer faith, beauty, and hands-on experiences for young hearts. Living less than an hour away from the only approved Marian Apparition Site in the United States–the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion–I grew up visiting the Shrine and going on field trips to the sacred… Read more: 4 Beautiful Catholic Shrines In The U.S. To Visit With Kids
- A Catholic Review Of BAU: Artist At WarFacebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Finding Creative Hope In The Heart of Hell – In Theaters September 26 Some movies simply captivate you, not just for their technical brilliance but for their ability to tell a story that feels both authentic and universally relatable. These are the kind of films that challenge you, enlighten you,… Read more: A Catholic Review Of BAU: Artist At War
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash