The Fragility of Normalcy

A few years ago, one of the books still hidden in my bowels of procrastination was to be titled Lessons COVID-19 Taught Us. I don’t suppose that book is to be, at least not with me as its author. But I still, from time to time, think about how quickly life can change. I have a close family member who is sick at the moment, and perhaps that is one of the factors that led my mind wandering down that path of reflection.

In the thick of and after the pandemic, we used and or heard the term new normal repeatedly. And it was no joke. Among many other things, we were forced to accept wearing a mask, suspect every cough, and stand six feet apart.  But for most of us, we saw a return to normalcy at the end of the tunnel, long though it appeared to be. I remember thinking about my deceased mother and chuckling to myself about how she would have responded to the changes we were all forced to make. Would she suck her teeth in true Jamaican style at being torn between wearing the mask properly and  struggling to breathe or “half-masting it” with her nostrils free of the offensive and obstructive fabric? Perhaps she would muster up her usual M.O. and  find reason to laugh and give thanks despite the challenges. Who knows?

Whether you want to look at it in terms of the certainty of death, save for the how and when; or the possibility of being overtaken suddenly by some awful sickness; or if as a person of faith your musings are more along the line of scriptures that point to the temporal nature of our current existence, I think we can easily agree that normalcy is very much fleeting.  

What then is your response to the fragility of normalcy, or perhaps a better question is what ought your response to be?