You hear this phrase a great deal right now, “the new normal”. In our previous days of plenty, we have always just assumed there would be food and clothing, jobs and money. Amazon has been a click away & will get those necessities to you & FAST! Now those days have been postponed. While we pray this is just a quick hiccup we also must learn and change. We must adapt & continue to push forward. It’s how we face that change as individuals and collectively that will shape our community.
Have we taken the face and people’s expressions for granted? Yes – we likely all have done it. As people pass you in the store, you note a smile or frown. You can see when they are in pain or frustrated. You may not even have to ask how their day is, as you can see it on their face. But that was in our yesterdays and now, more than ever, we must use our words!
“Stick and stones will break our bones but words will never hurt us!” Did your mother preach this wisdom, or was it just mine? With the digital age, you would think we would have the knack of expressing ourselves verbally but we have all seen the danger of lashing out when we are behind a “mask” as many feel invisible. A great example of this is the awful things that you’ll find some posting on Facebook. Instead, learning and practicing positive language is important. The internet is full of great suggestions for “social and emotional learning”. Regardless of where you are, if you are behind a mask, with your facial expressions hidden, your words will mean more and go farther when add descriptive words, speak positively and sculpt a picture with your thoughts.
If you have heard about the talk of “another wave”, it is easy to think that we came through it already. We all maybe feeling tired of it all, ready to resume our old life. Or at this point, you may just wish to turn your head and ignore it. The truth is, we must become MORE vigilant in our choices. Buckrail has a great story about past diseases and their repercussions. In the late 1800’s – early 1900’s Wyoming had several “pest houses”. These were homes where children with smallpox were sent to heal or die. Staffing it was voluntary and usually taken on by someone who had recovered themselves. It didn’t just occur over a short period. This also came in waves over the course of several years. With each wave, a new lesson was learned that got us closer to wiping the disease out.
With all of this, what now? There will be a great deal of questions to come, discussions on the varied possibilities and the best way to address those. There will be great ideas but there will also be mistakes. As our community has always done, we will lean on each other for strength and help. Please call your friends and family to check on them, offer kindness, empathy and a listening ear. Use this time to share your feelings too. The frustrations can build up if you don’t take the chance to vent, sharing your concerns about jobs, finances, schooling at home, missing your workouts, church services and family dinners.
Star Valley Health is a unique, long standing institution in this community. Our leadership team has proven to be thoughtful and wise, digging deep to make informed choices. We are here to support you with phone visits to your doctor or nurse, or meet with them through video visits (telehealth). We will emerge into our “new normal” stronger, because united we are powerful!
By: Amy Dunn, Orthopedic MA