For many of us, another “new normal” begins today. Here in South Carolina, salons can reopen, restaurants can begin limited indoor seating, and some businesses are starting the process of resuming operations with a well thought-out plan. I’ve lived many a “new normal” in my lifetime. Through the years I’ve been asked some wonderful questions and one of my favorites is this: does change ever become routine?

Interesting question. A valid question.

My answer has always been that I just go with the flow, or something to that effect. Truth be told, every new normal chips away at the strong walls I started building around myself in 2004. These walls were built with the best of intentions, and, frankly speaking, their construction began before I was fully aware of them. This is one of the many reasons that I connect so strongly with Wicked – and my favorite song, Thank Goodness. Glinda beautifully sings this celebratory anthem and perfectly hints at the cost of past and current choices with the phrase, “there are bridges you cross you didn’t know you crossed until you cross.”

The walls and bridges that I have built in my own life… well, they seem a bit worn and in some disrepair these days. That’s a good thing, I think. It’s a vulnerable state that I never could have imagined. I desperately wanted to be “a good and faithful” cancer patient, and I still find myself auditioning for that part whenever I meet a new doctor, specialist or physical therapist. I need to change this habit. Change: deciding to build a different bridge. This part of me will always be under construction.

God created me to be a generally upbeat person. I love a cheerful response, a quick joke (a sarcastic one, if I’m going to be transparent), a positive outlook… But, sometimes these traits feel like a proverbial prison.

I’ve always thought of myself as an Elphaba, but I’m discovering that I’m a Glinda.

It’s a struggle to ask the difficult questions in a perky and optimistic manner. There never seemed to be the right place or time to say things like, “I don’t want to die” or “I want to see my children grow up.” The few times I gathered enough courage to say them I was met with, “don’t think like that” or “you need to stay positive” or “I KNOW you’ll make it.” Oh how we love living in a Pinterest world full of sayings that can heal all hurt, comfort all sorrow and turn a frown upside down. My personal favorite is “every time God closes a door He opens a window” – I certainly need more upper body strength for that type of life. 😂

So, how does one walk on the sunny side of life when one can’t even walk? How do we navigate the new normals of today? We do it together.

COVID-19 has brought up many long-buried thoughts and feelings, and I doubt I’m alone in this. We all have moments in our past that have influenced our thoughts, feelings and direction. As we find ourselves in another new normal I hope to walk alongside my fellow humans as we navigate each step. We may come from different paths and have learned different things, but I think we all will find that we have far more in common than we thought if we just listen, give space to be understood, and work together to create this new normal – the inevitable routine of change.