After writing the series on the contrast between life before and life during the pandemic, I began to think about other times when either I or the society around me has had to adjust to new realities. As the picture above illustrates, it is difficult to discern the world around until it suddenly shifts. Surrounded by water, the fish has no concept of water. It is all she knows. It just IS.
Many times people recover from a near death experience and report that the world looks completely different to them. They have new understandings of things they previously took for granted, they say. My recent posts have highlighted how many aspects of my life I had taken for granted, from shopping for pants, to meeting a friend for lunch. Clearly the pandemic has brought that “taken for granted life” into clear view.
In upcoming posts, I will share some times when my world seemed to wobble on its axis before it righted itself enough to establish a “new normal.” Stay tuned.
Saved By Words 
I will look forward to those posts, Elizabeth, I have had a few wobbles of my on in the last forty years.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’m ready to read whatever you write.
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Its the old adage Elizabeth, ‘we don’t necessarily appreciate what we have until it’s gone’…
Blessings,
Jennifer
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“You never miss the water until the well runs dry.” I remember when our spring dried up and I had to wash diapers with water brought up from town in mason jars!
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Goodness! That’s a memory & a half Elizabeth!
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Absolutely. I always figured if I could get through that I could get through any household crisis.
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Definitely! 😀
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I love your attitude and viewpoint, Elizabeth. The new outlook of appreciation is spot on. What can we do but reflect, learn, appreciate and move forward? The alternative of gloom and doom is merely self destructive. Looking forward to your posts.
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Thanks, Jennie. Having an outlet in writing helps me clarify my thinking.
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I know what you mean, and you do it well.
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Thank you so much.
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You are welcome.
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I’m having so much trouble with WordPress that I’ll keep this short because some of my comments don’t seem to be ‘taking.’
Like.
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This one did.
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I look forward to your “new normal” posts. Most of us have had many twists and turns in this life.
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And the longer we live the more twists seem to show up!
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One thing i heard sort of related to this subject was how we see ourselves as separate from the world around us. So we say we are stuck in traffic as if everyone else in their cars are we are above it. The truth is we are part of the problem; we are traffic as much as everyone else. Seeing ourselves as part of something can sometimes be a challenge. Sorry, i may have gone off on one…
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No I think it is the same tangent. An early feminist slogan was “the personal is political.” We are part of all the problems now surrounding us.
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V true
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Looking forward to more posts on this, Elizabeth…
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Thanks.
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Thanks, looking forward to future posts
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Thanks.
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Life has always been quite volatile in Southern Africa, Elizabeth. We live with the knowledge we may eventually have to leave because the economy fails or a tribal war develops. I think this makes you more adaptable to change as you don’t expect things to stay the same.
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That is a very good point. I think that in much of the world people have that viewpoint.
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