As I sit at the edge of the pool, my feet dangle in the coolish water; I find myself lost in people-watching. There is laughter around me; mostly, kids with the occasional adults jumping in with a splash. My kids call to me, “Come in Mom, once you get wet it feels amazing.”
When it comes to swimming pools, I tend to ease my way rather than dive or jump right in. Yet, in everyday life, I have often leaned towards jumping right in rather than easing my way. I’ve been labeled driven, a doer, someone who sees an end goal and jumps right into the required tasks needed to reach that goal. But experience and age have caused me to approach life with a little more caution. I find myself expanding my ease into the pool water approach to everyday life.
It has been a year since the world went into lockdown due to Covid. And as we pass that anniversary, we find ourselves sitting at the edge of a pool. Covid is still very much a reality, yet as vaccines roll out and case numbers lower, things begin to open back up. There is renewed hope that more “normal” routines will once again be a reality. And yet I wonder, do I remember how to swim, it’s been a while? Am I prepared for re-entry into this vast pool?
Re-entry, sometimes defined as the action or process of returning to, re-entering something, is not a new concept. There are re-entry programs for inmates as they transition from living in prison back into the free world. There are re-entry training and processes for astronauts returning from space. Those who have lived cross-culturally returning to the country of their origin can find themselves in one of the most stressful transitions, especially without any intentional re-entry training or assistance.
While it seems that returning to what we knew so well should be easy, it is often anything but easy. A lot has happened in a year, a lot of trauma, grief, mindset shifts have occurred, and many of us aren’t sure what we want “normal” routines to look like anymore. We have longed for gatherings, people, activities in which we once participated. Yet, we have also enjoyed the slower, less rushed pace of life. We have grieved what was, but we aren’t sure that what was, is what is now best for us as we move forward.
As my boys begin to return to school full-time in-person, I find myself facing all sorts of emotions. Full-time school is something we have longed for, waited to happen, and yet now that it is here, I’m not so sure I am ready. Because as school opens back up, the reality of all that comes with it stands before us. With in-person school comes another adjustment in our routines, added responsibilities, car lines, extra school activities, new decisions to be made about what we feel is safe to do in this continued Covid reality.
So here I am, sitting at the edge of the pool, watching as people all around me jump into the deep water. I sit watching as the question weighs heavy, how do I re-enter this space? What is my re-entry plan?
The reality is that everyone’s re-entry plan will need to look different. There are too many variables in our levels of comfort, physical health, emotional capacity for there to be a one-size-fits-all re-entry plan. However, we decide to approach re-entry as things open back up; it’s a good idea to take some time for reflection.
- What rhythms, routines, or practices have I (or we as a family) adapted during Covid that we want to continue?
- What are some pre-Covid activities or routines that I have recognized might not have been best, and I want to make sure I don’t pick back up?
- What are my comfort levels, my priorities, and my approach to Covid safely measures?
We must recognize that while somethings are beginning to return to normal, other things are still far from ordinary. We will not simply return to the way things were before Covid because we are not the same people. We have faced new challenges, grown, changed, learned, and adapted.
As someone who grew up overseas, re-entry is not a new concept. I have lived through a challenging re-entry process and experienced firsthand what it’s like not to be prepared or have the support to re-enter well. For some of us, the experiences of the past year will keep us sitting on the sidelines, hopefully, brave enough to sit with at least our feet in the water but not ready to jump in. While there will be others who have been waiting, preparing for the moments any restrictions lift, they are ready, willing, and prepared to jump right into the water and start swimming.
What is most important is not how I choose to re-enter the water. What is important is that I am making an intentional choice instead of simply reacting to what comes my way.
Regardless of how we approach re-entry, may we be a community that decides to move forward well on purpose, with love and compassion and lots of grace. Let’s be a community full of grace and understanding to those around us who may make different choices.
