Well, I’m pretty old but even I don’t remember what life was like after the Influenza pandemic of 1918-19. I’m sure it changed a lot for the survivors – but they had just come through World War 1 so maybe they didn’t see the flu as that big of a game-changer.
Fast forward 100 years and it looks as if some things at least will be different after the pandemic eases up, or we get some sort of treatment or vaccine. I doubt that things will return to “normal” all that quickly.
So what has changed in our lives since we were locked down?
- Travel – yeah, right. We canceled a couple of cruises, don’t plan on taking another one soon. No flights either. We can’t even drive to Ogdensburg NY right now – border’s closed. We only drive to the pharmacy or supermarket.
- Shopping – it’s a gong show and we need to wear a mask when we do. Not something we look forward to, even though we were not big shoppers anyway. I didn’t think going to Costco could be a bigger PITA than it was – but I bet it will be.
- Personal care – even a haircut will be an exercise in futility when this ends. The shaggy look may return.
- Doctor, dentist, optometrist, audiologist – fuggedaboudit unless it is critical. I hear the dentist will be wearing a hazmat suit for my next visit. I just canceled a hearing appointment because my hearing aids are working OK and I don’t need the aggravation.
- Online shopping – I just bought a bunch of vitamins through Amazon – think I would have done that before the pandemic started?
- Online social activity – certainly has been a lifesaver. We learned about Zoom and Facebook video chats. Helps us keep in touch with the grandkids at least.
- Starbucks, Tim Horton, McDonalds, other restaurants and coffee shops – we went out a bit, but no longer. We have learned to live without this stuff and our incentive to return is very low. It must suck to be a fast-food owner now.
- Enjoying the fine weather – we haven’t had much yet. But when it arrives It’ll be a backyard BBQ, staycation sort of summer. We don’t have an RV or cottage so we won’t miss it.
My point here is that all of the above has changed and a lot of things we thought were essential turned out not to be. We are staying home, staying safe, saving our money. Will we be motivated to reopen our lives just because the politicians say it’s safe to do so? Time will tell.
One thing we hope will return to normal is being able to see our family. Maria hasn’t seen her mother since March and I haven’t been able to see the grandkids in close to 4 months. But will we have to practice social distancing with them? That’ll be hard – especially with my granddaughters. Teddy can probably deal with no hugs – but can I?
We all have gained a new perspective on life, which is a good thing. Normally we go out for our anniversary dinner but tomorrow will pick it up at the Heirloom and eat it at home, not a problem.
Maria has not been comfortable with takeout either, so we have just stayed at home. The closest thing to takeout for us are some M and M food products.