![image.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmdxR6rjiA3HNXK7kAg7VjSAUtPWAiSpfzA838fAsh6imY/image.png)






On my run around the lake the other day, I did something I almost never do when I'm running, because the sooner it's over the better. I stopped in my tracks. Written in chalk on the walking path was a simple question, but one that I haven't been able to get off my mind since:

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__What feels normal now that used to feel strange?__

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I've been reflecting on this since I saw it. It's pretty crazy how so much has slowly morphed into our daily lives to replace everything else we've lost. I thought about the things I'm missing, the things I'm grateful that this has all brought, and the things that I'm fortunate enough to have lost when others never had them to begin with. __To me, normalcy now has taken many new forms__: more mindfulness, dissecting thoughts to get to the root of them, cooking, hot baths, reading, writing, tea, french press coffee, walks in nature, time with roommates, reflecting. 

Normalcy also means missing friends/family, restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, seeing random stranger's faces, hugs, movie theaters, sports, and social outings. It means wanting things that we physically cannot have right now, no matter how badly we wish we could. It means some relationships have gotten stronger, while others are slowly fading away. It means feeling uneasy at times, worried about the future, and knowing this may go on for a while.

However, I think it feels more normal than ever now to reach out to the people who do matter to us. To send texts, use FaceTime, jump on Zoom, or just an Instagram message, all with one goal in mind: reminding the person we still care for them. We remembered them, in the midst of a pandemic unlike anything our generation has ever seen. Normalcy now means showing our love through our actions like never before. Spreading hope to strangers with a smile or a wave. __Reminding ourselves as well as them that we're in all this together.__

If you've got a few minutes, reflect on what's been normalized in your life as of late. The good and the bad. It's worth remembering that all of the emotions surrounding COVID are temporary, as is everything in life. Like a famous man once said, __"this too shall pass."__ My only hope is that the spreading of love remains. 




_"A Single Seed" is my attempt to get out one idea every day that I've learned or accumulated over the years, with the hope that it may stick in someone else's memory bank as well. The idea may be related to fitness, business, life, or philosophy, but I think you'll find that many can change domains if you wish them to. With each seed planted, a new life awaits._

Image credit: Me!