Do you realize just how much we took for granted right before the current crisis?
Visiting Grandma and Grandpa with the kids, going shopping, or catching a movie at the theater. Going out to a restaurant for a romantic dinner, having guests over, or celebrating our child’s birthday with their friends.
That was our daily life—and, for the most part, just the normal things we took for granted. Right now, though, we’d love for all of that to come back—and fast. Do you remember? Just a few weeks ago, we had no idea what was coming—or how much we’d be deprived of for quite some time! The good news is, those days will return. All of this is temporary. Besides, if we’re lucky enough not to be on the front lines in hospitals and not to be experiencing the crisis as closely as others, we have nothing to complain about.
Once everything returns to normal and we all resume our lives as before, will we at least learn a lesson from this? Will we promise to cherish these everyday little things now that we know what it’s like to lose them? Will we promise to slow down our unnecessary overconsumption and simply live our daily lives, now that we’ve clearly seen that we can keep ourselves busy with much less? Will we promise to just slow down and savor these simple joys we’re enjoying during this time of lockdown: tickle fights with the kids, family walks, and impromptu games in the yard?
We’re now taking the time to live, rather than just survive. We’re taking the time to look each other in the eyes. We’re taking the time to breathe. We’re taking the time to greet one another, even from a distance. We’re taking the time to show small acts of kindness to those around us—to support one another and acknowledge their courage, whether through rainbows or flashing lights. “It’s a shame we had to be forced into it,” you might say. But what matters is that we take something from this and no longer take life for granted. I hope that, for once, Quebec will have a good reason to proclaim, “I remember.”