Covid Habits to Keep

I know we are still missing out on so much - family time, travelling, restaurants, etc. - but there are some things that I hope will continue on even after we can lift some of these restrictions.  Now to be clear, I am not an overly social person like others may be, I don't love being in huge groups of people, and I don't like a lot of attention. I like to do things a certain way without being bothered by things I don't like.  Sometimes I don't feel like talking to anyone, which is why living in Toronto is perfect for me since I can be anonymous if I want to be.  So for me, this list is for things I would like to continue, but I'm sure other people feel differently.  

Cleaning my hands more.  I did not used to be as diligent at washing my hands as I am now, and when I think back, it's kind of gross.  I used to take the subway to work and touch a few surfaces on the way into my office, and then go to my desk and eat something without washing my hands. Yuck!

Not hugging as much.  Hugging is appropriate in some situations, but I also think there was too much of it before. I just met you, why are we hugging? (Dave, on the other hand, cannot get enough hugs.) 

Contactless delivery.  Just leave the food, we don't need to have an interaction. I'll tip the delivery person but I don't like the awkward encounter at the door.  

Reduced people in stores.  I'm thinking of places like the meat market or fish store where you need to be served by the person behind the counter.  With less people going in at a time, then it's clear who is first and there is no one cutting the line (on purpose or inadvertently).

Options to attend church, workouts, meetings virtually.  I definitely want to go back to these places in person at some point, but I would also love the option to attend from home if I need to.  Some Sunday mornings, there isn't enough energy to get everyone dressed up and out the door, but I may still want to view the service.  Part of these experiences is definitely the in-person camaraderie, but sometimes I just want the content itself.

Beer delivery.  It's great to just get a few dozen beer delivered right to your door and having a good supply rather than having to make various trips to the LCBO or Beer Store.

Outdoor parties.  I mentioned last week that my cleaning hack is to invite people over for dinner so I am forced to clean the house.  However, I also like that we can (or could and will again) have people over to hang out in the backyard with no expectation that they would be going into the house.  Fortunately we have a nice backyard so it works for us, 

Flexible work arrangements. I do want to go back to my office downtown, and will look forward to subway rides, various lunch options, and seeing actual people, but I would also appreciate days when I could work from home without any questions being asked. (And to be fair, I do work in a place where working from home occasionally was fine, but the expectation was to be in the office.)

Doctor visits by phone/email.  For some visits, clearly going into the office is necessary but sometimes you just need a prescription refill, test results, or a doctor's note and you don't want to have to go all the way into the office for a visit that lasts minutes.  A quick phone call or email does the trick.