The New Normal
/Continuing the blog post series prompted by COVID-19….
The New Normal
I’ve been thinking more about what has happened me during the pandemic so far --- call it phase 1 --- and then projecting a phase 2. I’ve looked back on my calendar to develop a timeline for myself.
January 29 – February 9 – Travelled to Texas. We were hearing about COVID-19 in China and on cruise ships. When I flew from Dallas to San Antonio on February 5th, there was an HHS person on our flight that I talked to at baggage claim. She was headed to the location where some of the cruise ship passengers were going to be quarantined in San Antonio.
February 10 – March 6 – Still doing appointments and volunteering. The last large group activity was a training session at Brookside Gardens in late February. COVID-19 was a frequent point of conversation and I realized that I didn’t want to be in a session like that again until the virus was not an issue.
March 7 – March 26 – I did one last volunteer session at the Robinson Nature Center Touch Tank on March 8th…but had made the pivot to the ‘stay at home as much as possible’ strategy on the 7th. I cancelled flights to Dallas and volunteer gigs. I got permanent crowns to replace the temporary ones on the 16th. I tried doing grocery shopping early and during ‘senior’ hours. On the 20th I discovered a crowded store during the senior hour in the early morning; it scared me into the decision to pay extra to have my groceries delivered.
March 27 – May 21 – The first grocery delivery was on March 27th. The only time I left the house was on foot (to walk in our neighborhood or into the forest behind our house….also working in the yard) and to take back plastic bags to an outdoor bin at the grocery store; I wore a mask during that errand. My husband did some curbside pickup from other stores. There were also items coming in the mail. My husband even bought a new desktop computer!
May 22 – May 31 – I did a volunteer gig (low density of people) on the 22nd…and realized that wearing a mask is harder than it seems…but must be done.
So – I am still in ‘stay at home as much as possible’ mode but there are going to be some subtle changes. It’s clear that in the area where I live, there is still community spread. But – we know that masks and washing hands is effective. I’m probably going to think about the period from March 7 – May 31 as a personal retreat. I indulged myself at home. I chose things that interested me: did only things I wanted to do…fell off the wagon and started drinking soft drinks again…and then, in the last few weeks started thinking more about what I want the next phase of my pandemic response to be. The new normal will maintain precautions but I’ll transition fully to new habits and activities will not be as indulgent. Some I’ve already started and will simply continue. I’m thinking about it as a phase 2…moving from being like a retreat to a new normal…some of which will be maintained even after COVID-19 is no longer a pandemic. I’ll be writing about various aspects of this thinking over the next week or so.
Links to my previous “filling a day of social distance” posts here.
A Zentangle Prompt
Use Angel fish and Indi-rella for today’s tile. Consider not using a string at all….letting the Indi-Rella fill in around the Angel Fish.
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The Zentangle® Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.
