What I learned during the Pandemic

On March 11th 2020, I had just returned to Los Angeles from a trip to London. I was back at work in my office and wrapping up the day when my colleague came to inform me that we would be shutting down immediately and working remotely “for the next two weeks.” What I experienced next was one of those rare moments where historical significance intersects with what’s happening in the present, and time slows drastically. This phenomenon allows us to commit to memory every texture, color, thought, and emotion of the moment. March 11th, was more than just the end of an era, it was the beginning of one.

There is one thing that has continued to baffle me over the past year +. We’re more than a year into this pandemic and we’re all still rallying for “things to go back to normal.” We lament about how we’ve exhausted all Netflix has to offer and how we miss our friends and live shows and cannot wait to be together again. While the desire to connect is a wonderfully natural one, I’ve found that there’s a particular set of questions that hardly anyone seems to be asking:

What has the Pandemic taught you about yourself?

In what ways have you grown on a personal level over the past year?

In what areas do you have a greater capacity for love and compassion, and for whom/what?

How has the pandemic transformed your relationship with the natural world around you? If at all?

What have you been able to put your attention on over the past year that maybe you were too distracted to see or do before?

Are you more loving? Less loving?

Here is what I have learned:

Oftentimes, the things we label as “bad” are actually an invitation (albeit, an incredibly painful one at times) to step into a new way of being, of living, and of seeing the world.

I have learned to respect the earth and her ability to simultaneously create beautiful, romantic sunsets and deadly viruses.

I have learned that both joy and fear can exist simultaneously and that sometimes, baking bread is the only thing that can help us find a sense of calm amid the two.