Having worked as a producer of ethical wills and biography videos for families and their businesses for the past 20 years, there is one thing I have come to know for sure: well-timed retrospection and reflection on life will lead to a profound understanding of where we have been, where we are now and ultimately lays the groundwork for what the future may bring.

During this past year human beings all over the world weathered the same storm simultaneously. COVID-19 has affected all of us to varying degrees. It has left a permanent mark on our lives that will leave us forever altered. As we now prepare for the second wave, I believe this will be a critical time to reflect on the life lessons the pandemic has taught us to date. In doing so, we all will become better prepared mentally and emotionally, for what lies ahead.

Here are four reflections on the pandemic lockdown garnered from various friends of Memoirs Productions. My hope is that they will inspire you to reflect on your personal experience during this pandemic. The lessons you learned this past year will definitely affect how you live in the future.

REFLECTION 1. “Time feels like it’s moving at a different pace” (40-ish single mom) 

I can’t think of a better term for the way time passed during lockdown as a time warp. Super-slow days and weeks turning into strange eternities. I went into the pandemic wanting to use the time wisely, but the hours and days felt like they just slipped through my fingers. I did however finally put an order to stacks and stacks of printed photos, as well as organizing my daughters’ ‘memory bins’. Throughout the last decade I have collected drawings, birthday cards, artwork, medals and more for each child and kept it all safely in big wheeled storage boxes. Confinement gave me the time to sort it all out, create a cohesive collection and load it all into a large scrapbook. Now they can appreciate and look back on all these treasures and maybe share them with their kids one day!

P.S. Stephen Colbert summed it up nicely when he tweeted  in mid-April, “The last two weeks have been a strange 10 years”.

 

REFLECTION 2. “The pros and cons of technology” (50+ year old single woman)

One thing COVID-19  has allowed me to explore is how I want to incorporate technology in my life. I’ve embraced all new tech as it rolled out but never really integrated it into my life. During quarantine I came to cherish Zoom, Facetime and Skype as lifelines to communicate with my friends and family. We created groups that met weekly to catch up, moved our theatre group online and read plays, had quiz game nights and celebrated many Zoom birthdays. I loved the creativity of everyone coming together and staying in touch. On the flipside, it was so easy to go down the Reddit and Netflix rabbit holes and not come up for hours and hours. I often felt guilty for wasting time in front of a screen and not being very productive. If there is anything that I have learned it is that technology is no replacement for in-person contact, but it can definitely be a comfort when you need it most. I am so grateful we took the time to be there for each other through it all, with recipes, various activities, and of course, Happy Hours!

 

REFLECTION 3. “We can relate to what our ancestors experienced” (66 year old man)

Many people in the media have compared this pandemic to the Spanish Flu. It really got me thinking about what my parents and grandparents would have experienced early in the twentieth century. It brought me immense comfort to realize that not only was I not “alone” in this (we were all going through it together), but that other members of my family had lived through similar tough times and come through it unscathed. In this day and age things are changing so fast. I never really felt a connection to the older generations. Quarantine and  economic turmoil has pushed me to reflect on and talk about what I knew about my family’s experiences in the past. They were really remarkable people who just did what they needed to do to make it through. When I start to worry I just think about them and really feel confident that I will make it through this pandemic. 

 

REFLECTION 4. “Disappointment is NOT the end” (78 year old grandmother)

So many events were cancelled for so many people. I felt sorry that my granddaughter didn’t have her high school graduation ceremony or party. That was nothing compared to the disappointment she felt, I’m sure. I was also disappointed we couldn’t have our annual family reunion. It broke our 30-year streak and nearly broke my heart. We did have it on Zoom. Of course it wasn’t the same, but it was nice as we all prepared a story to tell and then we all listened. I learned a few new things about our family’s lore that I might have missed if I would have been visiting in the crowd. It was a good reminder that our young ones need to hear our tales and become the keepers of our stories. We can’t just think…“Well one day I’ll record it”. So that’s what we did. We recorded it. I sure missed everyone’s hugs and all the delicious food — and naturally the laughs,  but I know at least those stories that were recorded have now been saved for posterity. That’s one outcome which will be a benefit for our family.

With the second wave on its way, how will you use the impending lockdown wisely? Based on your experience from earlier this year– can you see a more productive and positive life outcome? Now is the time to go through your family tree, label all those photo albums, and jot down or record the family lore for posterity. You will definitely feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment to create a treasured legacy for your loved one — something that really matters!