Stay Home, Save Lives

You may be feeling more relaxed now that we are fairly confident we have missed “the surge”, at least in Oregon.  I know I am.   While COVID-19 has caused significant devastation for some, it seems that what many of us feared the most is unlikely to happen, at least at my institution, and at least for now.  We may even be starting to reflect on this time and wonder what life will be like “on the other side”.

So for this week, I’m going to reflect on freedom.  Not the national kind represented by the flag, but the kind where you have more personal choice in your activities.  Similar to autonomy, freedom is when you are spending time doing more of what you want to do.  Freedom is not the opposite of responsibility, rather freedom allows us to tap into our passions and motivations, to create new things and to conquer tasks that are more enjoyable to us.

Can Being Forced to Stay Home Provide Freedom?

It seems as though “sheltering at home” has removed many freedoms.  We can’t go to the gym or the movies, we can’t meet our friends at restaurants.  We can’t even shop as often as we would like to shop.  Yet over the past few weeks, I have felt more free than I have in years. No games to watch, no carpools to wrestle, no parties or conferences to attend.  Instead, I have read scientific articles, played poker with my family, and planned an anniversary trip. I have more space in my life and this space allows me to be more intentional with how I spend my time.  An added bonus – the lack of commute and minimal time getting ready has allowed me to sleep on a schedule that is more in sync with my natural circadian rhythm.  This feels very free!

How Do You Want To Spend Your Time?

As we start to think about what the new normal may look like, pay attention to how you spend your time when you have more choice.  What work tasks do you enjoy most? What brings you meaning, both at work and at home? What are you naturally good at?  Think about how you can incorporate more of these truths into your daily life. Chances are, we will have less free space when this is over, so let’s spend time now identifying what is most authentic to us, and bring this with confidence into our next phase.

Kim