While there are more serious casualties — deaths–there are other casualties of this pandemic. Losses to the heart and mind as well and the soul.
When isolation from those you care about results in the loss or change in a relationship, that is a casualty. No two ways about it, when you lose someone you are dating to this situation, you’ve experienced a loss. But when one has to focus on survival and getting through this crisis with their mental health intact, sometimes priorities change.
We went from “normalcy” — going to events, laughing over a glass of wine, talking on the phone — to “social distancing.” That’s really physical distancing. And when there is a physical distance, that is a real test of the strength of any relationship, for that matter. If those threads aren’t there for both parties, that rope unravels really quickly.
And that’s unfortunate. We all know that relationships take time to develop from “situation-ship,” to become something, to build. If there is an interruption — a move, a job change, a change in perspective, or a death– circumstances force a change. Only the strong survive and so it is true with relationships.
However, there is hope, if you want there to be. Let’s hope that this health emergency is a temporary thing and that things return to normal –or a variation of normal–soon. Perhaps some of these lost relationships can be repaired. And if they are lost to time, it was just meant to be one of those “episodes of life” we experience along the way.
Here’s to hope and the savoring of experiences and relationships.
Relentless
