New Normal?

For the past several months I feel like many of us are just trying to survive, and I don't just mean trying to avoid Covid by washing hands, wearing masks, keeping distant, etc. but also trying to juggle our multiple responsibilities that have converged into one place, our homes.  It has been a lot, and with the return to school for most children, there has been some sense that things are getting back to "normal" even though we are really still so far from that previous world we lived in as recently as early March 2020.  

Although my children have attended school for a grand total of 8 days for Q and 10 days for E (with some sick days keep them home for 5 and 4 days respectively), things are not remotely back to normal. I am still working from home, with no planned return date to the office.  Our office is open to anyone who wants to use it, but I'm not keen on travelling downtown unless I need to.  So I may go in every once in awhile but putting in a full day, dressed in work clothes, and wearing makeup, seems a far way off.  And for school, it's just a matter of time before the kids will be sick again, and even though the rules have changed a bit and a simple runny nose doesn't mean the kid has to get a Covid test before returning to school, there will still be more sick days. And I'm sure we will need to be tested for Covid again if there are new coughs or multiple symptoms. 

And for the rest of the things we used to do to keep busy, now we mostly just go for local hikes and bike rides now, thank goodness we had golf this summer.  No street fairs, birthday parties, museums, trips on the subway, shopping, restaurants, or extra-curricular school activities.  And we have no travel plans, and no one can come to see us either.  We don't attend church in person and I don't go to the gym in person.  I am lucky that both of these things are offered virtually, and the offering is fabulous, but it's not the same.  Going to the grocery store is also a chore since there are often lines to get in, as well as some shortages beginning (paper towel and popcorn kernels anyone?). 

I do like staying at home and there are certain events that I don't miss, but there is no end in sight to a lot of these things. And now with our cases rising, and the cooler weather approaching, I wonder how the winter will feel.  I guess we will still keep feeling our way through this, adapting as we go, trying not to get too overwhelmed.  I saw a quote that said "Don't let your coping mechanism become your comfort zone".  We all have our coping mechanisms, that's for sure, and since they have gone on for so long, likely some have become our comfort zone.  We are still giving ourselves a break, and I think that's still okay.  But habits can form quickly, and we've been doing some of these things for several months now, so I wonder what will stick for us and for society.  Will we all be keen to jump right back into old activities as soon as we can (whenever that will be)? Or will we all be adopting some of these new practices forever?  Are we holding out for a time that will never come? Will more people start growing their own food? Will air travel be a luxury that only some will enjoy?  Will the office towers in Toronto remain empty?  How many restaurants will close?  Will we all just stream movies instead of going to the theatre? Will there be any movies to watch? I'm not sure, and I'm not trying to be morose, I'm just curious.  There are also good habits we may have adopted that will stick and should stick.

Thanks for sticking through this rambling, and I'm interested to know your thoughts too.  Maybe I will do some polls on Instagram to see what people think. Stay tuned for that.