New normal? More like new unknown.
Well, here we all still are.
We remain in the midst of a global pandemic with not enough answers and way too many questions remaining.
It got me thinking about what our “new normal” is going to look like.
When this ends or ebbs, what do we all rush back to?
By now, we all have new routines even if they are not especially structured. Let’s just say we’ve all found ways to cope or ways to work around roadblocks.
Initially (and aside from) rushing to see my family and friends, I figured my first stops would be for my hairstylist and manicurist.
That will likely still be the case, but if I consider real necessity, I might space out my visits.
My nails are currently bare, ragged, torn and down to the nub. Still, there's a chance that now that they are getting a rest from products that maybe they will regain some strength and length. So, maybe some of us don’t go back to the salon? Maybe not so often? Maybe we do our own manicures?
Hair? I understand many women are embracing their natural colours. Grey is the new silver, after all. The brave among us are cutting our own hair. Not me! I still have flashbacks of crooked bangs from childhood and the horrors of the Toni perm. If the smell didn’t get you, the bushel-basket result would. I will going as fast as my chubby little isolation legs will carry me back to a professional stylist.
The question remains, though.
Will every customer go back? Will they fear the close contact? Will people go less often?
I’m sure the possibilities of non-returning business is not lost on any professional, including chiropractors, massage therapists, gyms, dieticians, therapists?
Restaurants? I am so anxious for them to re-open.
Still, I have managed to cook and not poison myself. I have enjoyed some of the contact-free door deliveries. It has opened a whole new world. You get delicious food prepared and brought to you while you remain in your comfy clothes and eat in front of the TV. It isn’t such a hardship!
What about funerals? Operators have definitely stepped up and improvised. Some are offering drive-through viewing. Online services have also been offered.
If you aren’t a traditionalist, do you require all the expensive bells and whistles for the final goodbye? Maybe we go simpler, faster and cheaper?
What about money? Nobody has any right now, but what about the future? Is it too dirty? Do we go to plastic totally?
These are just questions I have been asking myself.
I know there are some things I will not do right away.
That cruise I have often dreamed about has sailed right onto a sand dune. I can’t stop thinking of those gorgeous ships as jail cells on water after stories of all those trapped and sick travellers not allowed to get off the boat. It is no longer paradise when forced to sit in a windowless cabin while the world goes by.
And forget the buffet! I was never a huge fan of them, but now they just sound like the worst possible choice to maintain public health.
I also don’t see myself flying anywhere right now, unless it is a necessity. Too cramped, too close, too many unknowns. (Not enough snacks!)
The thought of coffee with friends sounds fantastic, as does a nice dinner out with social distancing.
However, I no longer think I am going to overlook dirty restaurants or gross bathrooms, as I have been known to do. I think we will all expect and demand spotless diners, coffee shops and rest areas.
Sorry, but my motel room will now have to be cleaned daily. (No skipping!)
I hope the plexiglass in grocery stores stays up. I kind of like it. Go ahead and put them up at the bank or hardware store, too.
I always hated it when actual offices went away and we were forced to try to concentrate in those wide-open, no-barrier giant rooms. Give me a desk and a door, or at least a partition.
As a big concert-goer, I still plan to go. Someday. I’m not sure how that will look in the future. Cramming thousands into a stadium doesn’t sound appealing, but I sure would miss the music.
Casinos? I don't think I can. Too many touch points.
I truly hope every business goes back to full operations and even get new customers, but I think our world has forever changed.
Our opinions have changed. Our needs may now be more important than our wants.
Whatever else this year has given us it has been an education about our families, neighbours, communities and the world.
A huge lesson about ourselves.
What will be our personal new normal? It should be fascinating.
