The New Abnormal

 

I can’t believe that it has been three weeks since I last visited my local CVS. No, this is not an ad for my pharmacy. Google Maps informs me when I last visited places. I must be in some kind of pandemic time warp. I do enjoy shopping for anti-bacterial soap, vitamins, and antiseptic wipes with my mask on. Can you relate to my COVID shopping list with so many products to choose from? I was even tempted to buy a new face mask, but already have more than I need. I am tempted to order a dress online with a matching facemask. What is the world coming to?

We are daily survivors with a positive mindset mixed with waves of anxiety. During this time, we have discovered that family and friends are more important than ever. The diversion of the three N’s: News, Netflix, and NFL are giving us a sense of Normalcy. Whoops, that makes four N’s. Live theater is taking place in a parking lot in our new city. A parking lot has been turned into an outdoor theatre. The audience sits in socially distant cars watching the play with a cement wall as the background. Each car pays $50 for an ‘air freshener’ which is the “ticket” to the show. I like to be part of an audience. I enjoy hearing the pretend crowds cheering during the TV football games. I also like to be more productive, but am actually less. The news paints a grim picture of a cure for the virus. The number of COVID 19 deaths went over one million worldwide this week. The presidential debate was an embarrassing shouting match that made the whole world laugh. I just can’t think about it anymore right now. 

Instead, my husband and I are going on another nature hike today. We have discovered many parks in our new city with the help of a friend. Yesterday, we stayed close to home and walked around the neighborhood. We had a long conversation with a neighbor standing in the middle of our street. Then another neighbor walked by with her dog and didn’t even say hello. It is hard to gauge human interactions during this strange time. We don’t know what other people are going through daily.

2020 is a unique year with the pandemic, politics, and demonstrations. We are all survivors and are forced to reassess our lives and the time we spend on daily activities. When I look back six months ago, I never realized that the pandemic would still be going on now. We are facing an election that I will vote in by mail. We have a DMV appointment that was made three months for our new state driver’s license and license plates. Everything that must get done, gets done. Life carries on with work, school, health care, and more. We need to reassess our lives, priorities, and realize that we are all survivors. If this is the new abnormal, what is the new normal?