"Where were you when..." is one of those questions that lingers. It's what we ask when a life defining moment happens. It's what we connect over, as these big experiences change us forever. And these moments can be personal or they can be global.
On a personal level, events could be like how you found out you were going to have a baby or how you found out that Santa (or the Tooth Fairy...or any other childhood figure) wasn't 'real'. People bond over these shared experiences, even though we each go through them differently and at different times.
On a larger scale, perhaps a big storm hit the town you lived in, and everyone talks about the 'winter of (*insert year here)" where people were without power for days or buildings were destroyed. This creates a bonding effect with the people you see everyday in your life, your neighbors and the folks you run into at the store. It also can become a dividing line between natives and 'outsiders'....people who might have moved to town after the event happened and don't have that shared experience to reminisce over.
Then, you reach the national level, and we come to more 'once in a lifetime' type of events. I thought that, for me, it would be 911. That was definitely a "where were you when you heard about the towers?" moment. And these type of events become rallying flags that the country gathers behind. It drew us together, it helped us set aside our differences for a while. People were inspired by the volunteers and heroes who worked tirelessly to try to rescue as many survivors as possible. People called loved ones or even vague acquaintances they knew who might have been in the area, wanting to know they were safe.
And now, we have reached the global scale. This (hopefully!) is the once in a lifetime event, the defining moment of every generation that lived through it. And it has the added uncertainty of not being a human threat. There is no adversary we can attack, no leader to vanquish, no one to capture to put an end to this. It is both bringing people together and driving them apart as fear captures people in different ways.
But the thing about defining moments is we don't have control over what is happening to us...what we do have control over is how we respond. And every one's situation, even in this shared global event, is different. We all have different personal situations and different resources and different needs. We will all walk through this obstacle differently, but we will all face it.
In the moment, everything feels bigger. The silences and the waiting feel longer, the tragedies hit us harder, the restrictions feel more suffocating. And as time goes on, we start to adjust. Things that felt insurmountable a month ago have become commonplace. We have begun to figure out how to make due with what we have, to sort out new ways to solve problems with different tools.
We don't know what the future will hold, but we do know that when that future comes, we will look back on these times and these are stories that will matter. For the most part, our daily lives and activities will pass unnoticed. What we do, on a particular day, isn't normally going to make the history books. What makes times like this so remarkable is that the everyday stuff, the unremarkable things we do....have become noteworthy.
Think back to any historical event you read about. Sure, they always highlight the big moments: when the battle turned, when the cure was found, when the building collapsed. But they also looked at all the ordinary moments, they made a note of what daily routines were like, what kinds of foods people ate, what new methods were employed.
It can be hard, while in the middle of it, to make sense of all that is going on. But knowing that one day we will be looking back on these times, can help us keep our perspective. We will get through this, one way or another. And sometimes we just need that lifeline, the knowledge that all the little things matter.
Faith and spiritual practice are often tested, in these extreme times. And you may find that your mundane struggles have eclipsed your regular practice. This is absolutely normal and it doesn't mean that you are any less dedicated! You may need some space, you may need to devote your mental energy to getting through the day, and you just don't have anything left. Or you might find that you need more spiritual connection...this is also normal! You may find that instead of relaxing with a hobby, you are drawn to more introspection, more journaling, more prayer.
You may fluctuate between the two, going days without feeling any kind of spiritual spark, and then feeling the need to dive deep for a while. Listen to what your soul needs, and honor what you are feeling. You might feel called to do more work for others, to seek out people who are wanting help...or you might need to withdraw some of your energy and focus on your own issues for a bit.
The biggest thing to remember, is these are extra-ordinary times....they are outside the realm of normal. So normal rules and expectations don't apply. Don't feel like you need to hold yourself to your 'regular' activities. Give yourself the flexibility to do what feels right...so that in the future, you can look back and say, "Yes, I lived through that time, and it was hard, but here's how I made it..."
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