I’ve Grown Accustomed To This Pace
written by: Jill Ebsworth
Sad to say, I’ve grown accustomed to this pace
of life in these two Covid years and more.
When lockdowns, isolation orders first were
made, introverts across the world perked up—
work from home? no crowded transit rides?
no snarled up traffic? no need for small talk?
That doesn’t sound so bad at all—
we could get used to this.
And Zoom made everything sort-of-work,
with glitches here and there, of course—
but what a gift it brought—suddenly folks from
far and wide could join a meeting with a click
or two, and there you are, virtual togetherness.
And oddly enough, such virtual reality allowed a
kind of intimacy to develop—a closeness
very different from in-person interaction,
but nonetheless, real.
Lists of Facebook friends grew phenomenally,
I’m sure. And in these Covid months, much has
opened up online—worship in Canterbury Cathedral
or Rome, or anywhere you like, ride a virtual train
through the Rockies, study with a far-off university—
and all at no charge beyond your cable fee,
and, should you wish, all can be done in your pjs—
or at least their bottoms.
And now, as things are opening up, we introverts
must re-adjust. It will be great to visit family
and friends, to actually share a meal in a
favourite restaurant, to see a movie, go to
a play or concert, or go shopping without eyeing
the grocery cart and items on the shelves
with suspicion as we wonder if they’re safe,
and, without having to dodge the unmasked
shopper coughing just a few feet away.
But we introverts will miss our home-based lives,
our days spent following our own circadian rhythms,
our own new patterns, and our
much slowed down pace of life.
These Covid years and months have brought
horrific times across the globe—illness and death,
loss and grief, hopelessness and despair, political
unrest and instability—but some good has come as well,
to this our planet home, and to humankind as we
learned new ways of being. And I for one, have
grown accustomed to this pace.
- I’ve Grown Accustomed To This Pace - July 6, 2022
- Bullies - April 5, 2022
