Preparing to Return to the Land of Fake Believe

Look, I’m just going to say it – I am not looking forward to “returning to normalcy.” Some of us have adapted to this quieter way of living and I feel like society is trying to drag us back into “What it was.” I am somewhere between a toddler throwing a fit and a loud sigh served with a slide of a big, fake smile. It’s not my happy place to say the least.

When the pandemic first happened, I was on Cloud 9. I was made for this – yoga pants became our dress code, binging Netflix or a good book series was hot, we made things. Who are these people who want it all to suddenly “go back to what it was”? It was broken. It was competitive. It was unforgiving.

What if this, this right here, is my normal? What about those of us who operate best at a distance? The world can be a scary place and I am not sure that I am ready to step into that big pile of stinky shit.

I’ve had the taste of freedom from what the normal offers and am both happy and comfortable here.

I’ve had a lot of time to ponder about these things, because isn’t that really all we’ve had after all this – time? Time to think about what’s really important and focus on the things that really matter? It isn’t status, sweetheart. It’s living life to it’s fullest. This solace is what fuels some of us, so give us grace as we struggle to return.

I’m not missing forced conversations that exhaust me from emotionally devoid people. “Nice weather today” at the watercooler is not my ideal interaction and I know that I am not alone.

Is anyone else feeling this sense of dread because of anxiety because we are being forced to march back into society at a pre-pandemic pace? It all feels so animated, and I just want to crawl under a rock and hide until other introverts can come along and can assure me safe passage back to the land of “fake believe.”