The New Normal

Without much of a warning, humanity has been thrust into a new normal. The “old normal” has quickly disappeared. No one was expecting it. This has been caused by a worldwide pandemic called the coronavirus. It has covered the entire world like a heavy blanket. It’s as if there’s a new present time, and a before time. Whenever I watch commercials now they appear so strange to me showing a different time and situation. They almost look unreal. They do not reflect current reality of the world.

Most people have been relegated to a lockdown for several weeks or months in the hopes of slowing down the spread of the virus. Some countries have acted aggressively and been quite successful. Others have acted slowly or tried to ignore what was going on, which lost valuable time and lives. It has been incredibly painful to watch and crushes my heart on a regular basis.

I have been lucky to be living overseas with my husband in Morocco which acted very quickly. With only 63 cases of the illness, we went into a full lockdown. We have just completed one month and have started our second month.

I confess there are times I wish I could just run outside and go to my favorite cafe for coffee and breakfast. Or walk up the street to go shopping. Or just be outside exploring. But I can’t and most of the time it doesn’t really bother me that much. I try to exercise a little when I can. My husband has started his own exercise program. I am also a poet and writer so I try to write each day to keep up my regular schedule of writing. But there’s no doubt life isn’t the same. There’s a tension in the air that’s palpable which is always there. The fear of the unknown.

Luckily technology has come to the rescue offering other ways for people to connect like video chat. They have become very popular as a way to communicate. Everyone is zooming. In our case, it offers a way for my husband’s son and other relatives to talk to each other several times a day.

Since the lockdown, my husband and I have cobbled together a loose schedule which helps. Routines can be stabilizing. In the morning we get our breakfast and make a pot of coffee for later. After lunch, we nap. Late afternoon we usually have herbal tea. Then about 6pm, we watch the TV news to check on the latest virus numbers and any new announcements.

It’s hard sometimes as the constant focus is on the virus whether with the news or social media. Some days it’s just too much and I would rather focus on something light.

Perhaps the world is waiting for a superhero to fly in to the rescue. At times I think about the movies I have seen about contagions infecting large populations, but in those, there’s always a cure at the last minute. So far, that hasn’t happened. Reality is proving to be quite different. It looks like we will have to wait more than a year for a viable vaccine. Though scientists are moving at rocket speed. This causes me to wonder sometimes, how will we proceed once the lockdown is lifted? Once there is a vaccine or proven treatments? Will some type of social distancing still remain?

Late at night, before falling asleep, the demons may visit. Fleeting moments when I think about what to do if something happens. Or what if the lockdown continues beyond another month or so. I usually try to keep these thoughts at bay as they can become tortuous.

Through all of this though, people are adapting quickly with online venues, concerts and other art forms. New songs are being written. Some movies and shows are now being offered free or at discounts. Some movies slated for release later in the year have been released early. Many online classes are available for free. Museums have opened up their doors through free virtual tours. I hope this spirit continues into the future when all this passes. Groceries are being ordered online and then delivered in areas where that was not common before.

Kindness and care are growing. People are looking at ways to reach out and help one another. Fashion houses are manufacturing masks for the medical profession, and Dyson started making ventilators along with major auto manufacturers. Young people are inventing devices to help people and doctors. People are thinking beyond themselves. Music artists have given concerts to raise money to help fight the illness.

In many countries at night it has become a regular tradition to open the windows or stand on the balcony to applaud the medical workers and front line staff. They are the new world heroes. In New York City, members of the fire department brought their trucks in front of a major hospital with sirens on to salut the medical staff.

As the world sits paused with empty streets, shops and businesses, the earths’ animals have started to explore and go into cities. This has become their time. Some people even had deer looking into their home windows. Peacocks strut down the streets proudly, while dolphins and whales swim where they haven’t in decades.

Pollution is receding offering cleaner air and bright blue skies. The ozone layer has begun to heal. Los Angeles has blue skies again as do other cities.

While we all sit waiting and hoping for a vaccine and viable treatments, the planet has been moving forward healing itself.

We all crave what’s normal, to go back to our lives. Back to our routines. My question is how has that changed now that we have been forced to pause. Many people have become retrospective looking at their priorities and what really has value. Will social norms and greetings change as well such as shaking hands and hugging? Will there be another new normal after this one? How will we want to rebuild? What will we choose to leave behind?

Perhaps when all is said and done, we might be able to see new possibilities and realize we truly are one. We are human. We are humanity.

With that, hopefully we can really move forward into a new future together.