WE LONG to return to our normal lives. But what does normal mean? I think the idea of “normal” changes through time. I don’t think we can ever return to the “old normal.” A “new normal” has, in fact, already arrived.
As quarantine continues—curfews, stay-at-home orders, skeletal work forces, limited work hours, queues, border controls, lockdowns, prohibitions and passes stay.
Physical distancing now occupies a paramount role in our lives.
We wear masks when we step outside. We wave from afar when we see someone we know. Never before has keeping a distance been so essential. Never before has physical touch been so unthinkable—even when accidental.
Running errands has never been so stressful. The rigmarole we have to go through before we step out the door—the protective gear on, the necessary pass in our hand, the non-essentials to be left behind, the bathroom break before we step out the door.
I do feel like Katniss Everdeen. Each time.
I can’t catch anything. I can’t bring anything. Home. One mistake is one mistake too costly. Not just for me. But for everyone at home.
When someone rushes past us, we feel compelled to turn our back and hold our breath. Despite the prophylactics we have on, we feel unprotected. Never before has a cough or sneeze garnered so much ire. Never before has the air around us carried so much dread.
The gas gauge in my car has hardly moved in seven weeks.
Our trips to the outside world—to the grocery and to the pharmacy—are well-planned. We leave home only when we need to. And when we do, we get things done and take off as fast as we can.
The world has changed. And so must we.
It’s the death of shared work spaces, the deluge of home-based offices. Today, we conduct face-to-face conversations, only when we need to, behind protective gear. And yet, we don’t work in healthcare or work inside an operating theater.
We now do everything we can—online. Shop, work, play. Read, learn, study. Meet, discuss, communicate.
Baby boomers, it’s time to step up. We are a generation caught between two worlds. But as comforting as our old world was, we must now leave that world behind. It’s long overdue. Anyway. The digital age arrived quite a while ago. It’s time to acquire netizenship.
E-commerce is soaring. Delivery services are booming. Contactless payments are thriving. Telemedicine and distance learning are happening. Telecommuting, video conferencing, virtual meetings are now the thing.
We long to return to our normal lives. But what does normal mean? The concept of normalcy changes through time. A new normal has arrived. To prevail, we need to adapt and adjust.
When the winds change, you adjust the sails, you don’t turn back.