"Take Your Time"

As the world opens up again, remember to take it at your own pace.

We've become so attached to how our lives have transformed over the last few years, that it's hard to imagine ourselves living any other way. The "norm" for us all has entirely shifted and with that our boundaries have changed too - for the world to return to normal after such a long period of solitude is a confusing reality to adjust to, our perception of ordinary living has been altered so intensely that the idea of life before COVID now seems so far away. 

Easing restrictions relieves us of the intense cloud of anxiety looming over our freedom but it doesn't make it any easier to adapt. The pressure to socialize has never felt more apparent. With everything and everyone seeming to be moving at twice the pace it normally would, we're left with a lack of recognition for how the pandemic has fully affected us. Perhaps it's an effort to "catch up" with what we've supposedly missed but I can't help feeling that these years have undoubtedly altered a portion of our lives - to ignore that would be hurting ourselves further.

I wanted to remind us all of how PATIENT we've been, the endless days that we've waited to have an ounce of freedom and how much we really do deserve to surround ourselves with people we've missed so dearly - but that if you're not ready, there's absolutely no shame in that.

Take your time, there's no need to rush.