I read a very interesting article posted online by my father-in-law discussing, among other things, the power of advertising. It brought up the idea that when things get more back to normal after this pandemic begins to slow down, there will be a rush of companies trying to regain your trust (and your dollar). That being said, I feel like I have really been able to focus on some different things in the last month and it has been refreshing. What will I allow back in my life? What am I alright with being gone? What have I discovered lately that I want to keep? It’s a tough decision-making process. As I write tonight, I want to simply brainstorm a few things in my life (and the life of my family) that I think about when I debate what might change forever, and what might not.
BRING BACK: Museums. I can’t wait until things like the children’s museum and some of these science centers are open again. There, I said it. I know that might just be a point of contention for some people. “You want to bring your kids back to that germ-filled cesspool?” Yes. Yes I do. I have really enjoyed my kids learning in different ways lately, and being inside the house so much makes me want to pursue pretty much any opportunity to explore I can find. I look forward to the chance to share these things with my kids to the extent that I can.
KEEP: Public television. I have watched so much more PBS lately, and I really do like it. Just this week alone I have learned about water, diabetes, and bourbon! Okay, so the last one was because we get Kentucky PBS, so don’t judge. Actually, judge. It was super interesting and I could probably use a little right now. In general, I have really taken a liking to a lot of what I have seen, and in a regular world inundated with sports I probably wouldn’t have slowed down enough to watch even half of what I have.
GET RID OF: National news. I tend to watch a lot of news, and I have really enjoyed the local news. Cincinnati has pockets of red and blue politically, and as such I have always felt like most local news broadcasts have done a great job of presenting a fair, neutral way of presenting information. However, I have really had trouble finding anything on national news that could be considered neutral. I tend to find a lot of my national news on Twitter, and that isn’t exactly smart either.
BRING BACK: Travel. Lots of travel. I don’t care if it fits in the budget or not. I was just telling my friend yesterday I want to rent an RV and go across the country visiting national parks this summer. I am well aware that we can’t, but it just sounds so amazing! In a world with so much worry about the future, why not spend the present seeing as much as you can? Hmm. Are there any YouTube how-to videos on making a Honda Odyssey FEEL like an RV?
KEEP: Actually visiting with my wife at night. It has been great just to take a few evenings here and there and just talk. Sometimes we have the television on, and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes she’s pacing around the house getting her steps. Either way, it’s been great to catch up. This would normally be my busiest time of the year, and I’m not convinced this time would have been spent actually feeling closer if I were caught in a whirlwind.
GET RID OF: Having a thousand things on my schedule. I don’t want to say anything bold on a blog like “I’m not teaching anymore!” I won’t claim that today marks the end of my coaching career. I make no promises about whether my kids will play soccer or baseball or any other sport as they get older. Here’s what I want to commit to instead: The next time a kid decides to play a sport or I decide to take on a responsibility, there’s going to be a real conversation.
I’m not willing to give back every single last positive that this mostly negative time has given me just because something new shows up on the radar. Watching my daughter hit baseballs across the cul-de-sac and my son ride bike with both legs on one side of the bar has been awesome. It’s not time to give it back yet. Maybe it won’t ever be.
The next few months will be full of conscious decisions. What will we bring back as a society? What will go away? Just as each state is going to have to make decisions, so will we in our own household. I don’t know what decisions I will make, but I do know I won’t take it for granted.