New podcast alert, courtesy of @GlennonDoyle (and @AbbyWambach!) https://t.co/dikJMcjRmN

— NYT Styles ? (@NYTStyles) May 11, 2021

There are days when I’m ready to throw off my mask, paint my face full of makeup, and run with arms open into a packed concert stadium or a busy restaurant.

For things to feel “normal.” And not “new normal.”

Normally, I do not like people. And I do not like crowds.

And yet, some days I miss people. And I miss crowds.

That said, I’m not entirely sure I’m ready to reenter the post-pandemic world. First, because we’re not actually post-pandemic. And second, because I’ve become so used to the world finally conforming to my homebody ways.

Venturing back out into the world feels both full of possibility and full of anxiety. To mask or not to mask? (Personally, I don’t trust this country to operate well under an “honor system,” so I’m team mask for the foreseeable future.)

What is safe to do and where is safe to go? Can I still get sick if I’m fully vaccinated? Or get others sick? Are we reopening too soon? Will we choose to be kind to each other? Have we learned anything since last March?

And why does it feel like everything has changed overnight? But also like the last year has been a decade?

One place I have been aching to venture to, oddly, is the airport. I miss traveling. I miss exploring new places. I miss that feeling of waiting for the plane to take off. I miss landing somewhere and wondering what adventures await. I miss boarding the plane home and wishing you could stay just one more day.

And that brings me to Glennon Doyle.

Her words, her honesty, and her humor have been a powerhouse force in my life since I first read Love Warrior five years ago. So it’s no surprise that as I was pondering the world reopening today, Doyle posted a story on Instagram that helped ease some of my fears.

If you’re wondering how to reenter the world, and what’s waiting on the other side, let her help you too:

 

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