PANDEMIC SERIES, SIXTH ESSAY (The New Normal: 2/3 Old Normal, 1/3 New)

 

                                                  PANDEMIC SERIES, SIXTH ESSAY

(The New Normal: 2/3 Old Normal, 1/3 New)

As Americans we are an optimistic society. We don’t have a global lock on optimism but that’s not an issue. With respect to the end of the pandemic, we can feel it in the wind, can’t we? Maybe we cannot see its light at the end of the tunnel yet but we fully expect it is there. We can’t wait for the “2021 version of the good old days” to emerge. In a way, the concepts of savoring and then saving the “new normal” is like holding off on what you expect to be the best birthday/Christmas/Hanukkah/etc. gift to be opened. You do not know what it is, but anticipate it will be a good thing and are anxious to see it.

Based strictly on observation and gut instinct, my best guess is that the “new normal” will consist of about two-thirds holdovers from pre-pandemic behaviors. We are comfortable and familiar with those activities and behavior, and know they give us satisfaction. The other third of post-pandemic activities and behavior will be carried over from the new initiatives we undertook during the pandemic.  As each of us contemplates our post-pandemic lifestyle there are three questions worthy of our introspection.  They also will provide interesting perspectives if you ask them of your friends.  Because we all are unique individuals, answers will differ from person to person, perhaps even substantially.  One nice thing is there are no right or wrong answers.

1.      What will the new normal look like for you and your family?

2.      Will the new initiatives we launched during the pandemic fade away when their benefits no longer are needed?

3.      We only gave up our old behaviors under duress, not because we wanted to. So as we gravitate back toward the familiar and comfortable won’t our return to those activities crowd out the new initiatives?

 

 Many if not most of our new initiatives were designed to reduce risks to our health,  alleviate fears, retain a semblance of routine in our daily lives, give us a sense of control over at least part of our activity and strengthen our connections with family and friends. Everyone is doing their best to address those needs. In addition, for those retired like me or not fully employed, we had way too much time on our hands, so another need was simply to find something productive to do while confined to home.  I needed a sense of purpose.  My one major undertaking, explained below, paid pleasant dividends.

 

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 I cleaned out our garage.  It was tedious, but also productive. Its outcomes were positive, but it was a “one and done” project at the same time.  I had successfully put it off for 28 years, believe it or not—maybe not sufficient time to make the Guiness Book of World Records, but pretty long nonetheless. Neither my wife nor I had the faintest clue of the contents of many of the boxes, bins and closets I tore apart, but they did not disappoint.

It took about two months to accomplish, but we have been enjoying some of the buried treasure discovered along the way: Christmas tree ornaments we had acquired in foreign travel, then packed away and forgotten; board games (does anyone need seven versions of Trivial Pursuits?), 20 decks of unopened playing cards or six card tables (one for each room in the house if desired—not!) and about 200 candles of assorted shapes, sizes and colors. Remarkably, no candle holders, which probably explains the surplus of unused candles.  The most enjoyable, yet time-consuming part of the project was organizing about 1,200 loose photographs spanning almost a century.  They were stuffed everywhere, except in the 21 large plastic bins we had accumulated over the years (and now have tucked away, empty, in the storage area above the garage ceiling).

Old photographs have stories to tell and memories to prod. The beauty of these photos was in inviting us to guess which snow-covered range my wife and I were gazing at in the distance; or remembering the five-day Grand Canyon rafting trip I took with our son after he graduated from Duke; also, being in awe of the families of leopards hunting together in Kenya, or capturing the radiant smile on my wife’s face, reflecting her unconditional love for our daughter held ever so gently moments after she was born. It was also heartwarming to find photos of our two grandsons, tracking them from birth to the fine young men they are today:  the 18 year being informed just last week of his acceptance into a wonderful university with a major four-year academic scholarship, and the almost-16 year old trying out for the high school track team while, on a separate track, absorbing the sophisticated cooking lessons he’s been taking from my wife for more than a year.

Whether your long-avoided project involves painting, landscaping, repairing, or cleaning out a closet or garage, consider it an investment of your time, or a scavenger hunt, beautification project or search for buried treasure. This is one time when surprises are fun. Think of it this way: if we never have another pandemic in our lifetimes, you probably will never have another opportunity to tackle that one imposing project, the one which will then remain lurking forever in the back of your mind.