New Normal. Really?

By Pamelagrace Beatty

Doctor Seuss’s last book was called, Oh, the Places You’ll Go. That’s how we may feel now that many, if not all, of the restrictions are being lifted since the pandemic. So, what are you going to do?  How will your life change? Will you leap right in up to your neck, or will you creep in one step at a time? Or will you go back and forth, brave and foolhardy at times, and then super cautious?

All of the above seems to be happening around us.  People are filling airplanes because of long-delayed travel. They are taking long-delayed vacations; rushing out to see family, grandchildren especially, and friends. Now that we no longer have to get covid tests before and after the flight or stay isolated for two weeks to make sure we don’t have the virus, travel by plane is much easier.  Well, it is almost as easy as it was before the pandemic (which was not easy, but it’s all relative). 

The freeways are packed with cars and the ones near where I live in Seattle have been packed since last fall! I thought everyone was working from home. Nope, they are out there on the road driving like maniacs. I guess they have forgotten how to relax and be polite drivers. The roads were even backed up on Saturdays and Sundays, starting early in the morning.  I simply could not understand where everybody was going since we were still supposed to be tucked quietly away in our homes.  You are probably thinking, “What was she doing out on the roads if everyone is supposed to be at home?” I had my reasons.  I guess everyone else did too.

Folks are traveling locally as well.  Early fall, I took a road trip with a friend down the Oregon coast. We stayed in a couple of hotels.  Restaurants were not open for dining in, but we could do take out, which was fine with us.  There was moderate traffic on the way to Portland and some traffic in the small towns we stopped in.  The hotels were pretty empty. We had a delightful time walking on the beach, hiking in the woods and looking at the scenery.  Contrary to that experience, before the lockdown let up, I drove up to La Conner, WA, an hour and 45 minutes from my home.  The traffic was intense (yep, those people on the freeways again) almost all the way to La Conner.  That was unusual.  The traffic on the little road that led directly to La Conner after I got off of the freeway was totally packed. In fact, it was backed up.  In all the years I have traveled to La Conner, I have never run into that kind of traffic.  It was a beautiful Saturday in the early spring.  It seemed everyone was dying to get out and enjoy the change from the rainy spring we had had for so long. The streets of La Conner were so crowded that keeping six feet away from anyone was impossible. Fortunately, I was spending two nights there and the next day the rain returned and so did the empty streets.  But this was an example of how starved for freedom and normalcy people were.

The New Normal? Maybe.

People have stopped saying they will be glad when things get back to “normal.” We have all pretty much figured out that “normal” will be different going forward.  Now people are saying we are in “The New Normal.” No. We are not.  There is no new normal yet.  Everything, and I mean everything is up for grabs.  We can now do some of the things, we couldn’t do during lockdown like:

Get married

Have guests at a weddings

Get haircuts, manicures, pedicures (my personal fave)

Attend graduations                                 

Eat inside restaurants

Attend memorial services for loved ones                 

Go back (?) to the gym

And more!

 However, we may want to proceed with caution.  We are not yet totally out of the woods.  The covid variants are cause for concern because we are still learning how they will impact people who have been vaccinated.  Then the divide between those who have and those who have not been vaccinated is a delicate situation to dance with – or not.  Consequently, it is advisable to give some thought to reentry, and resist just jumping into the middle of the pool of freedom from masks and worry.

As we enter into this freer existence, for now, we should be aware that things could change without notice. We are in the process of creating the “New Normal.” It is not here yet.  We are in mild chaos, laced with unpredictability and experimentation.  There is an upside to not knowing for sure what’s ahead… We can invent new pathways or new ways of doing things.  We may also keep some of what has worked while we were in quarantine. We may want to keep those things that worked while we decide what to re-instate going forward. 

For example, working from home may remain in place to some extent.  Some people have definitely taken to it.  What’s not to love about avoiding those long, tiring commutes?  Employers have found that their employees get as much work done from home as they did while working in the office.  Between the teleconferencing and other tools, keeping up the output seems to have worked. Some employers are seeing how working from home has saved them money by reducing expenses in the office as well as the amount of office space they have to rent.   Others see an advantage to keeping some of their working population at home because it reduces the amount of planning they would have to do to bring everybody safely back into the office. 

As organizations and people adjust to the quarantine, humankind, being the creative and inventive group that we are, has learned how to work around the inability to gather. Online meetings, classes, information, activities such as playing music, virtual exhibits abound. And loads of selling everything from groceries to puzzles for adults to bidets and clothing have inundated the internet.  Amazon and Walmart have raked in billions!  We all have probably waited anxiously for that special something we purchased online to show up at our door. Buying over the Internet will probably continue. I’m just using Amazon and Walmart as examples.  Many businesses cropped up and made money due to the pandemic, like the mask makers and providers of hand sanitizers as well as the grocery stores when so many started making their own dinners. “It is an ill will that blows no one any good,” my grandmother used to say.

As we begin to create this “New Normal,” giving thought to how we personally will deal with it is important. It’s already been mentioned to be cautious about jumping right into the fray like nothing every happened. It would also be a good idea to personally consider what we did pre-pandemic that we want to keep doing, and what we want to stop doing.  I realized I was far too busy doing things I didn’t need to do, or need to do as much as I was doing them. I also realized that I was not as introverted and happy to be away from people as I thought. I missed being around people terribly by month three of quarantine. As a result, I started several zoom groups, joined a board, and traveled across town to play music with my band (under safe conditions of course). It came to me that the people in my life were more important than all the stuff I was doing.  They still are even as we slide into some kind of post-pandemic world.

Not everyone had time to think about what life was like for them before the pandemic and what the optimum life can be after.  Many are thinking about it, though, and that is good. Here’s wishing you all a smooth “New Normal” that works for you and everyone else.