The Times They Are A-Changin'

Those of you who are reading this and don’t know me, have no idea how much I dislike the word normal. Not only do I get to hear over and over again how “these are not normal times” now I’m faced with having to deal with the idea of the “new” normal. You can hardly listen to the news, read a newspaper, or even just talk to someone without mention of the new normal.
If ‘normal’ for you was a comfortable daily routine the truth is you were about to have big changes anyway. You were headed for a new normal as in no more 8:00 AMs — that would be replaced by work at 8:00 AM. Staying up really late? No more because, again, you would need to be at work at 8:00 AM. After college life comes the life of bills, budgets, laundry, cleaning, cooking, car payments, rent, student loans, and sadly, no SHU bubble...and all that change means a loss of what was once considered ‘normal.’
What we are all faced with in this moment is loss — so let’s talk about that. Most of this is directed to the Class of 2020 — be that high school or college graduates — who are struggling with multiple losses. Some of you have had to deal with the death of people you care about but not all of you. We are all required to practice physical distancing — no handshakes or hugs! Regarding your time at Sacred Heart all of you are dealing with the loss of that last semester of your senior year. (You didn’t even get to have senioritis!) For some the premature end of an athletic season or the season that never was, the inability to party with your friends, and for now the inability to walk across the stage and feel that pride in your accomplishment while you are handed a case for your diploma. I know that your Senior Class officers and Student Government representatives are working hard to make this happen at some point but no one is sure when it will be safe to do so. All these are real losses and I’m sorry you are going to miss them.
As regards losses we can either get mired down in them or find within them opportunities for new life and new traditions. That means you have an amazing opportunity to create your own unique tradition. This will allow you to become a unique group of Forever Pioneers! What would that look like? Not sure but with the creativity of this generation, I know it will be grand.
Doesn’t every day involve change either big or small — this change may have been forced on us so why not embrace it? Why not apply our intellect, inquisitiveness, and skill to make our mark on it instead of the other way around?
Those who majored in philosophy will recognize this quote: “No one ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river, and you’re not the same person.” Yes, it’s Heraclitus and his point is pertinent for us: life is constant change. “Normal” (whatever that is) is always evolving. So in the midst of this current change with the hard losses it presents these questions remain — how shall I apply my skills to this moment? How shall I move from loss to potential? What kind of person will I become, will take shape in this evolving ‘normal’?