My friend Jordin James (go read her stuff she’s awesome) recently challenged me to share a little bit about a word that has come to symbolize the pandemic for me personally as part of the #pandemicwordchallenge she started.

As it turns out, my mind had already been looking for personal themes, learnings, and takeaways over the past month and as soon as she mentioned the challenge I already knew the word I was going to share.

Alas, Jordin had chosen that same word for herself (you can read about her take on it here).

I thought about writing about the same word, offering my take on it, but the more I thought about it, the more a new word, well actually a short phrase rose to the forefront of my mind, so instead, I’m going to share that.

What Next?

As the pandemic has carried on, I’ve become increasingly fascinated by the question of “what next?”

The more I think about it, the more facets emerge to the question, ranging from huge issues regarding global decision making going forward and the economic fallout all the way down to the molecular level and the future of viruses like COVID-19.

Most interesting to me, however, is the question of who each of us will choose to be once this is all over.

It feels like something of a clean slate, a chance to force restart our perspectives of the world and the people around us.

After being forced into isolation will we choose to prioritize time spent in the physical presence of others or will Zoom calls become our new norm for connecting?

After being cooped up inside will we emerge with a new appreciation for the world around us and use every chance we get to explore get out and explore it?

Will we have built up habits around hygiene and hand-washing that stick and go on to have a lasting positive impact in the world thanks to a reduction in the spread of other more common afflictions?

Even though I personally haven’t had any extra time and space during the pandemic, it’s nonetheless an incredible opportunity for reflection and mindfulness for all of us.

What do we miss most about “normal” life?

What old beliefs about ourselves or the world have been reinforced or broken down?

What do we enjoy about the current circumstances?

What are we grateful for in spite of or because of our new reality?

These are questions we can all benefit from asking ourselves, and ones that can help guide us into choosing the life we want to live and the people we want to be when we emerge on the other side of this.

So what’s next for you?