Don’t Go Back to the Old Ways

Recently, a good friend mentioned how significantly the pandemic had impacted her life.

I was a little surprised.

We talk often and I couldn’t remember hearing about anyone she knew having a struggle with Covid.

But then she shared how the pandemic had pushed her out of her predictable patterns and forced new habits upon her. This led her to reflect on how she was using her time and the value she had placed on relationships. 

What she said next really stuck with me…

She said 2020 was a challenging year, but she didn’t want to go back to the old ways.

Reflecting After Times of Change

I think there’s a nugget of wisdom to be gleaned from my friend’s comment.

Every year of your life has a purpose. Every time your circumstances and environment are changed creates an uncomfortable period of adaptation.

It is in these unpredictable life events that growth can occur.

I know for me, I don’t want to unreflectively go back to the old way things were before March of 2020. So I decided to pause and take inventory of the changes that have occurred, and which ones have become unexpected gifts that I don’t want to lose or forget going forward. 

I’d challenge you to do a reflection of your own of the past year. How have the restrictions, the “weirdness”, the pausing of different aspects of life affected you? What habits from 2020 will you hang onto as we begin to enter back into a sense of normalcy? 

My reflection allowed me to see 5 new habits that have emerged in 2020 that I want to hang onto. 

Life Changing Habits to Hang Onto

Working from Home

My husband always fantasized about one day having a job where he could leave the office and be free to work from home. We figured that was most likely years from now and in a different working scenario. 

However, being forced to work remotely, he realized that his current job was able to be done just as well (if not better) from his simple bedroom office, where he plans to continue indefinitely. 

At first, this threw off my routine as a stay-at-home-mom, but in time we grew to love this new normal. This decision even allowed us to downsize to be a one car family since we no longer needed the second car for his daily commute. 

I now realize that having my husband work from home gave me something that I cherish greatly. He’s the extra socialization on those lonely stay-at-home-mom days. He’s the voice of reason when I’m too frustrated to settle another sibling dispute. He’s the listening ear over lunch amidst the chatter of three young kids. 

Kid’s Chores

In the spring of 2020, when we spent every single day at home, we inevitably made more messes, crumbs, trash, and laundry. I had been wanting to get our family into a chore routine for months prior, but it took this time of staying home everyday that finally left me no choice but to put a plan into action. 

We started small and developed a simple chore chart, taught our kids how to do age-appropriate jobs, and were able to see the benefits immediately. They are far from perfect at doing chores, but this start allowed them to realize that they can contribute to our family by caring for what we have. 

Spending many more days at home has allowed all of us to gain a deeper appreciation and care for the place we call home. 

Daily Walks with the Kids

Starting in the Spring of 2020, we began doing morning and afternoon walks to get some exercise, fresh air, a chance to give a friendly wave to neighbors, and a break from the walls of our house. Getting outside on a daily basis has been such a positive change to our routine that when 10:30am rolls around, we know it’s our time to head outside. 

The winter season has always been a harder time for me, so I knew the combination of my normal winter blues plus the continuing challenges that this pandemic has placed on us would make this winter a more challenging one. Thankfully, this new routine of sunshine and exercise twice a day has become something that I look forward to each day, even on the chilly ones. 

I’ve learned to appreciate the stillness of the season, bare branches, frozen ground beneath my feet, and the crisp cold air in my lungs. All parts of winter that I never really appreciated until they became such a prevalent part of my day. 

Family Devotions at Breakfast

When Mike first began working from home, I asked him to help me with breakfast, since that’s always been a chaotic time of the day. Not only did he get the kids’ food prepared, but he also sat with them while they ate and led our family in a bible story, scripture memory, and a song. These lessons are predictable, short, and memorable. 

This brief amount of time each morning has been one of my favorite parts of the day, as we’ve been able to begin each day as a family orienting our lives towards our highest values.

Letting the Kids Choose Their Outfits

This may seem like a silly one, but our kids get so much joy out of choosing what they wear each morning. It’s a big part of their personality to choose how they dress, so allowing them this freedom has been something they love. 

Since we spent many days at home, did it really matter if a princess dress was worn all day, or that shorts were worn on chilly winter days, or that a bathing suit was the outfit of choice? Letting go of that control when it didn’t need to be something I held onto was a positive shift on my end. 

This simple lesson of loosening my control on the non-essentials has benefited our home with an extra dose of peace and whimsy.

Conclusion

So no matter how 2020 has left you feeling, I hope you’ll pause to see what habits may have formed that could have a lasting impact on your life.

I’d encourage you not to go back exactly to the person you were— see what positive changes you want to hold onto and carry into this next season of life.