The Intersection of Interrupted and Unexpected

If there is one word that is universally used and understood in the Year of Our Lord 2020, it is the word interruption. Across the globe, everything has been interrupted — family life, education, careers, finances, church, sports, future planning. We now realize our future is not what what we were expecting, and that is a tough and unsettling place to be.

I write this from my second quarantine. I was recently exposed to COVID-19 and now I’m self-isolating as I await the results of my test. I did one of those drive-thru tests where a health professional does a deep swab on the inside of your nostrils. I, however, had not done my research and was unprepared for what would happen. The “deep swab” was so deep that it felt like she was digging for buried treasure. Lest you think you’re good to go after the first swab, it is done a second time to the other nostril. And yet, as invasive and unpleasant as that experience was, it was the highlight of my self-isolating day.

My second quarantine was unexpected. Navigating more unexpected circumstances when you’re already in a sea full of unanticipated waves crashing against you can be downright disheartening. During the months of March, April, and May, the quarantine was tolerable. I was still teaching. I was on Zoom daily lecturing for classes. When I wasn’t lecturing I was preparing lectures. After school ended, I was housing displaced expats. But with my recent exposure to COVID-19, they had to leave and my house is now empty — except for me and my dog.

Yes, I was one of the countless people who got a dog during quarantine. First came the social-distancing, then came the work from home order, and then the dog arrived. As I type this, my dog is sleeping on the couch, gently snoring with persistent rhythm. I don’t mind confessing the dog has helped me maintain my sanity. I am a hugger and social-distancing is killing me. The dog helps with that. Additionally, I am walking every day, for miles and miles, with my dog — which is helpful for both of us. She gets her exercise and daily squirrel patrol and it prevents me from becoming a corona couch potato. Truthfully, I am spoiling her rotten and lavishing attention upon her that would normally be given to others. My life is upended, yes — but my dog sure is happy.

I know I am not the only one navigating the unexpected. There are so many displaced expats right now who have been in their passport countries longer than they’ve been in years. They no longer know how to function. They’ve already done one round of visits and now they’re visiting friends and family for a second-round. Sometime the welcome is not quite as warm as the first time. They’re learning what we who have already repatriated have learned — people have moved on with their lives and they are not accustomed to you being in it. People aren’t sure what to do with their reoccurring expat family members or friends. It’s a surprising and painful lesson.

Then there are those expats who started with a temporary displacement that has now morphed into some permanent and unexpected changes — changes that don’t come with a timeline or clear path.

Still others are wrestling with returning to countries which are open in name only. Many countries are requiring thousands of dollars per person just to enter into a mandatory quarantine. A family of four could spend a healthy chunk of their yearly budget just to return, let alone continue on with life abroad.

So what do we do when we are at the intersection of interrupted and unexpected? We need to employ “RE.”

We must begin to reimagine the future and the present. We need to recreate rhythms and liturgies to sustain us in this new life. We need to reorient ourselves to life as it is and not life as it was. We need to redefine boundaries. We also need to recommit ourselves to what matters.

It is easy to become listless, unmoored, and disconnected with reality. It is easy to want to take a nap even when you are not tired just to escape the monotony. But we have to resist it. We will all have unperformed, half-done days, but it can be a slippery slope to cultivating bad habits — even despair.

I’m not saying we all have to learn a new language, write a book, or take on some other massive project. We are living in extraordinary times. Allow yourself to be ordinary. There are times when just surviving is a major victory. Don’t worry about thriving.

Interruptions and the unexpected will continue to come in the foreseeable future and I will continue to re-imagine, reorient, recreate, redefine, and recommit myself to a future that is not what it used to be.

How has your life been interrupted by the pandemic? What has helped you to get through this time? Did anyone else adopt a quarantine pet?