“They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound.” (Psalm 115:5-7 NLT)
My neighbor, Daniel, lost one of his arms in a farming accident years ago. His missing limb has been replaced by a prosthesis with a hook. His other arm, which he refers to as his ‘good arm’, is large and muscular. Daniel has learned to develop his good arm to compensate for the one that he can no longer use. He can now do more with his one good arm than most of us can with two.
During the pandemic and subsequent period of physical distancing, I have noticed something peculiar. Some individuals seem to develop new ways of adaptation while others shrivel. Many of us who were dependent on physical proximity, appearance, feedback, body language, social diversions, etc., now feel ill-equipped. While it is true that all these resources were valuable, we can learn to thrive without them.
Humanity has been granted the ability of movement, vision, hearing, smell, and communication. We have idolized and trusted a few of our gifts while allowing others to atrophy. Our skills of connection, imagination, understanding, articulation, and movement can be developed further to compensate and adapt to a new normal. We need to become aware of our emotions and express them transparently. We must learn to use our words to speak, write, and create. We have to move our bodies--even when no one is watching, sing out loud--even when no one is listening, and reach out to others--even when we cannot touch them.
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