Managing Editor Patricia Staino and I were laughing recently about the rampant ubiquity of the phrases “unprecedented times” and “new normal.” As Patricia pointed out, since we’ve been dealing with these strange situations and protocols for many months now, at what point do they become just the way things are and no longer worthy of note? I’m not sure the exact answer to that question, but I am pretty certain we’re still not there yet. As clichéd as it may be, these do still feel like unprecedented times to me. It feels like we’re all part of a massive human experiment, having vastly different experiences with the sole common denominator that very little is as it used to be, regardless of where we each started. 

This pandemic has exposed anew that when we rip away social veneers and step out of the busy-ness of daily routine, each person’s individual landscape looks and feels very different. Every soul has a story to tell, equally valid, powerful and important. We have a choice in how to react to this reminder of uniqueness: we are able to offer compassion and understanding (including to ourselves!) or may be tempted to judge and divide. I have witnessed behavior and received gifts of great kindness and I have heard about and observed selfish acts that troubled and shocked me. Now that the human condition has been so utterly exposed in its glory and flaws, the question is what comes next? 

Compassion and suspension of judgment, including for self, are my wishes for us all as we move further through this shared human experience. Hopefully the virus will fizzle away and be a memory in short order, allowing us each to rebuild what is important to us, in the ways we find acceptable. The only way to find out is for time to pass.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not wishing my days away, no matter how fraught they may currently be with uncertainty and confusion. I am striving to be mindful to appreciate the goodness in each day, for days like these may never come our way again. If we pay attention and can be gentle with ourselves and others, in between what was and what will be we may find inspiration and hope we didn’t know we were seeking. These seeds could well be the tender shoots to be nurtured next on our life’s journey. 

We hope you enjoy this month’s selection of articles, focusing on inspiration and exploration of new habits and horizons. Thank you for choosing to share your precious time with us and our advertisers, contributors and distributors. We are grateful to have a place in your community, especially at such an unprecedented time. 

With love and light,