HAPPY NEW "NORMAL"!!

 

WHAT'S YOUR NEW NORMAL?

Isaiah 43:19 - Behold I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 

The clock struck midnight on January 1, 2021, welcoming a new year! Many were glad to see 2020 go; others rejoiced because they made it to see 2021. Some looked forward with anxiousness and apprehension wondering what the new year would hold. Would things change or would things remain the same? Grief and Loss were the hallmarks of many lives in 2020. While others experienced Growth and Grace. Questions still abound after 2020? Will we continue to wear masks? Hoard toilet paper? Be divided by politics and religion? Still wrestle with a virus and vaccines? Truly, only the good Lord knows. 

2020 took many by storm as loved ones, friends and family members, as well as jobs and homes were lost. Often after the initial loss, the initial feeling of grief, there is a long tunnel in your soul that you are trying to escape. You’re trying to learn to navigate it and get out. Some people start running, figuratively and realistically to get out of the tunnel. But there is no escape. This is the new normal. Life will never be the same after this event, situation, or circumstance. It’s never going to be business as usual. Your normal has changed. It has a new attitude, disposition and focus and it’s NEW.

I remember vividly the day my mother passed away and my normal was made new. I kept saying as I called lawyers to get custody of my sister, “If mom was here”. In my new normal, my mom was not here and I had to learn to navigate the waters alone. I went into survival mode. You know survival mode is known as FIGHT, FLIGHT, or FREEZE. 

Fight – You come out of the old normal swinging like your life depends on it, and it does. You come out in full battle gear. Nothing and no one can stop you. You have a singular focus! That focus is to survive. To push with all your might past the tears, the hurt, the depression, the anger, the sadness, the pain and fight like you’ve never fought before. It’s a battle everyday and you have determined that you will be the victor. The last woman standing. You Fight!

Flight – You run faster then Forrest Gump! You run like your life depends on it and it does! Some run in the natural realm. They run marathons, they run every morning at the break of day; they run 5Ks every weekend. Some run figuratively as they search for the solution to the new normal at the bottom of a liquor bottle, or the back room of a strip club or at the slot machines at the casino. Some search for it in the refrigerator or their favorite restaurant. Others search for it at the shopping malls, in the latest name brands, at the counter of the phone company. Some believe they have found it, when they get 1000 likes on social media. They run, too afraid to face reality.

Freeze – You stand still. Real still. Almost like if you don’t think about the event or the circumstance, you don’t have to deal with it. You win at the mannequin challenge. You stand in the same spot for years, as life passes in front of you. Your smile is one of yesterday, your memories too. You’re too afraid to move forward. It’s too painful to look back, so you stay glued to the same spot for years. Presidents have changed, Fads have changed, but you, my dear friend, have remained the same. Stagnated by your new normal. 

So what do you do when life happens? What do you do when your normal is new? How do you move into 2021 and face your new normal? 

EMBRACE IT!

Life happens! No matter how much you loved a relationship or a friendship, it’s bound to change. Sometimes the change is growth and sometimes the change is total loss. When my mom died, I was in fight mode. It was the survival of the fittest. Determined to survive, I stayed in that mode for 15 years. 15 years! But did you know that you’re supposed to be in FIGHT, FLIGHT, or FREEZE mode for only 1 – 2 hours at the most? Embrace your new normal. Accept the facts, whatever they are. My mother was gone and my 10 – year old sister needed me and I needed her. Those were the facts.

LOOK FOR THE BEAUTY IN THE BAD! 

Whew! I rested each day on Romans 8:28. All Things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, who are the called according to His purpose. I realized two things: 1) ALL things worked… So this thing (my mother’s death) was included in all things. 2) I had purpose. Sometimes I still struggle with this one. What I think my purpose is and what God knows my purpose is must align. But one thing that I did, was constantly look for the good. My mom left a beautiful legacy. She could out sing every bird in the sky.  Every morning she woke up with a song. I still do that. I sing in spurts. Answer your phone when I call, I can normally be found singing a song as the phone rings. #TrueStory. My mom loved people. Hence, her profession as a nurse. As a result of her death, I saw so many people that she’d touched, so many lives. I was proud of her. She touched my sister and me and in turn, a wonderful organization was created to honor her memory and continue her legacy of love, light, and lifting… San’s Child. There is beauty in the bad!

TALK IT OUT! 

There is an ugly stigma that keeps us bound in our communities. We hide behind strength. Strength is great. But every one needs an outlet. I am a proponent of therapy. But if you are not, find a sister friend, a stranger at the library and talk. Yep, I have shared some things with strangers in passing that I haven’t shared with the people closest to me.

Masks, Vaccines, Social Distancing, Quarantine are our new normal right now. But I believe that God is still going to do a NEW thing in your life. What life-changing moment happened in 2020 for you? Once a life-changing moment occurs in our lives, we are rarely ever the same. #Embraceit, #Lookforthebeautyinthebad, and #Talkitout! Welcome the newness of the #NEWNORMAL. Sometimes our greatest blessings are often born from our darkest moments. Don't forget to Live in the RED! You are Loved and Forgiven! 

#LivingInTheRed
#JustforToday

#Loved

#Forgiven

#AcceptingTheNew
#SweetTEE