Are You Ready to Venture Into the World Again?

by Debra Landwehr Engle, author, Be the Light that You Are

I was talking with a client the other day who has spent most of the last few weeks at her father-in-law’s farm, three hours from home. She’s been taking care of him and her grandkids, making meals, playing games, taking walks.

“Are you coming back home soon?” I asked.

“I don’t know yet,” she said. “I’m not sure I’m ready to go back into the world again.”

I hear her. Even though many people have struggled with difficult challenges in health, finances, and family, these past few weeks have felt like a prolonged snow day — with their own gift of simplicity and stillness.

If you’re not sure about going back into the world again, it’s important to remember one thing: You get to choose what you take with you.

Maybe it’s a less hectic schedule. Or taking pleasure in using what you have instead of buying more. Or scheduling regular Zoom visits with an old friend who used to be on your “someday” list.

Here are three things I want to incorporate into my new normal. What are yours?

1. Slowing down. As much as I love to travel and being with family and friends, I’ve relaxed into the peace of staying home. No matter how busy life becomes again, I’m making a commitment to keep one weekend a month unscheduled, holding a space for quiet — or for something fun and unexpected to show up.

2. Reconnecting with gardening. My husband and I went looking for nursery plants yesterday and discovered that they were almost sold out. Apparently people are planting like mad this year, even if they’ve never gardened before. It makes sense. Not only are people at home with time on their hands, but every seed we put in the ground reminds us that something greater than ourselves has a plan. That’s a powerful thing to remember right now. For beauty, renewal, and sustenance of body and soul, gardening is hard to beat.

3. Saying goodbye to perfectionism. My previous concerns about how things look — whether it’s my hair or my house — have seriously relaxed, and more important thoughts have taken their place. After all, life in this physical world comes with cat hair on the carpet and unwashed dishes in the sink. And that’s okay. Making friends with the piles of paper on my desk reminds me that perfectionism is from our ego, but perfection comes from God.

Debra Landwehr Engle is the bestselling author of The Only Little Prayer You Need, Let Your Spirit Guides Speak, Be the Light that You Are, and Twenty. You can visit her at www.debraengle.com.