Keep reminding yourself.
In the past few months, there’s been more and more of a sense of “back to normal.” Putting aside whether normal exists and whether pre-pandemic behavior is where we should want to return to, there’s this to remember.
Most of the “back to normal” events I’ve had – concerts, recording sessions, maskless rehearsals – are things I haven’t done since 2019.
There is more to unpack, more work to be done, before we’ve outlived the trauma, stress, and disruption of the last 2+ years. Last week’s farewell concert felt “normal” but compared to 2020 (on YouTube) and 2021 (in a gym), it was not normal at all.
I’m working hard to give myself grace to not expect settled, normal feelings out of this year. Next year will be better, in many many ways. And in the meantime, I’m celebrating making music with my students and not expecting it to feel normal at all.