My husband is an orthodontist. I’m not sure if he loves teeth, even though he talks about them all the time. But I do know that he loves his work. He loves talking to the patients, their parents, and his staff. He loves hearing their stories about school, life, the community, etc. It also seems to be fun to have people leave your office one day with a megawatt smile and gratitude to go with that new smile. It’s a win/win type of career if you don’t mind hanging out with teeth all day.

Since COVID-19, my husband’s job has changed dramatically. It took the whole quarantine for him to dramatically update his office in order to make sure that his patients, staff, and he were safe and protected. He and his staff now wear quite a bit of facial and body protective gear that is both hot and ultimately uncomfortable. Parents are no longer allowed in the patient rooms, so children come in by themselves, often nervous and uncomfortable. 

A week after returning to work, my husband came home looking exhausted, overheated, and frustrated and said, “It’s just not fun anymore.” My heart broke a bit in that my husband is one of the few people I know who still loves the work that he does and the people that he meets. All of the PPE gear, strict limitations, and new policies had taken away much of the social connection and the fun of working with young people and their families. 

Things have improved since then in that my husband has been able to connect with some of the parents with physical distancing and strict mask rules. He and his staff have adapted to a new world and have found ways to be more physically comfortable and connected to each other and their patients. There’s no doubt that most of us will adapt to this new world, yet can we ever have fun again?

Choosing Fun, Even During A Pandemic

And therein lies the challenge for all of us. Can we still have fun and if so, how do we do it? Ultimately, as with all other big changes in life, we have a few choices: 

1. We can live in denial, pretend it’s not happening, and risk the health and well-being of ourselves and others.
2. We can make the changes, complain the whole time and refuse to find any fun in any of it. This is understandable, but probably not a wonderful long-term solution. Or…
3. We can choose to change what we can, let the rest go, and choose a new attitude. 

Needless to say, if you know me, you know I will advocate for the third option. It is unlikely that we will ever fully go back to pre-COVID life. Things have changed, our awareness has changed, our health has changed, and our risks have changed. So how do we find a life of joy and fulfillment with these changes? We get to choose for ourselves. (By the way, that’s always the answer.) We choose to look at things through a new lens, we find joy in new situations or new opportunities, and we accept what is and change what we can. 

How do we find a life of joy and fulfillment during a pandemic? We choose it. We choose to look at things through a new lens, we find joy in new situations, and we accept what is and change what we can. #COVID-19 #happiness #fun #choices Click To Tweet

History suggests that we will do just that and have plenty of fun and joy in the future. I’m on a joy hunt that doesn’t include “when COVID is over” because I don’t want to wait for joy and fun. I want to experience it right this minute. Life is too short to wait “until” something happens. We get to choose it right now. So what will you do to start having fun regardless of that pesky little pandemic?

Love,

Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC