The coronavirus
pandemic has changed us in countless ways. Definitely the tragic deaths and
significant sicknesses have left a permanent mark. Every one of us likely lost
someone we knew and cared about personally. Most of us either have been sick or
loved someone who was. We’ve been quarantined, sheltered-at-home,
home-schooled, social distanced, and otherwise felt the crunch of personal and
professional restrictions, with the collective hope of containing the dreaded
virus.
Now we’re told
that the end of these dark days may be coming, even if it’s still months away.
But we are beginning to imagine what life may be like in a post-pandemic world.
By no means do we want to diminish the pain and
losses of the global pandemic of 2020-21.
It’s been truly
terrible for so many.
At the same time,
it’s human nature to look for silver linings and to find ways to lighten our
outlooks on life – even during some of its worst moments.
What has the pandemic produced in our lives?
Through the
ordeal, we may have gained a few things (besides the “COVID-19,” as our
bathroom scales remind us every morning).
- We’ve all become expert hand-washers. And because
of that, we can all sing the “Happy Birthday” song in our sleep.
- Each of us has a full array of fashionable
face-masks to match everything in our wardrobes, which have been
painstakingly whittled down through many hours of reorganizing and lots of
discards/donations.
- We still don’t know our neighbors, but we
have befriended every dog within a three-block radius of home.
- Many of us have picked up new skills like
gardening, handicrafts, bread-making, and home repairs.
- We’ve learned the art of participating in
video-conferences with full grooming, but without pants.
- We actually wipe down gym machines before and
after using them. (OK, most of us do.)
- We’ve mastered the skill of talking like
scientists, even if we barely passed freshman bio.
- We’ve caught up on our lists of TV series to
binge.
- We can differentiate between the perils of
attending family holiday gatherings and the apparent safety of joining
crowded downtown assemblies.
- Each of us is on a first-name basis with the
mail carrier, UPS and FedEx drivers, and Amazon delivery guy.
- We can track the best local deals on (and
supplies of) paper towels and toilet paper.
But will any of
us ever again:
- press an elevator button with a bare finger?
- taste a pastry sample from the bakery
counter?
- stand in line to have gifts wrapped by hand?
- reach into a bowl of bar nuts?
- dab on tester make-up in the cosmetics
department?
- eat a birthday cake after someone blows out the candles?
- pick up a tiny pizza slice in the freezer
department at Costco?
- grab a stair railing (or escalator rail) in a
public place?
- pass a hot dog down the row at the ball park?
- drink from a water fountain?
- shake hands with a stranger?
And let’s not
even talk about fitting into a pair of jeans.
Yes, we’ve
changed in so many ways. Maybe we’re all germaphobes now.
(You say that
like it’s a bad thing?)
Images: Public domain image
Feel free to follow Twitter. Find Delightfully Amiss on Facebook. Please visit my Amazon author page as well. And I am happy to share my RUNDERDOG ambassador code for 10% off
on Bondi Band Athletic
Headbands, Accessories, and Fashions. (Simply enter the code at online
checkout.).
%20Facebook.png)
%20Facebook.png)
%20Facebook.png)
