December 13 2021
I really thought there’d be a chance that my normal way of living would suddenly reappear. That miraculously the need for masks, vaccines and vaccine passports would just disappear into the mists of time. Then normal life would be back That was until today. About a week ago we started hearing about a new variant Covid virus. They said it was apparently much milder. |
Oh yeah. They were right. The scientists and medical folks are moving into high gear. Now they’re saying we all need a third booster shot. Apparently the two just don’t cut it. No one really knows how dangerous this variant is, because it hasn’t been around long enough to get enough data as to its virulence, but one thing they do know - it spreads with phenomenal speed and ease.
December 18
it’s difficult to even find a news outlet that isn’t just full of Omicron stats. In Ontario more than 3000 cases were recorded today. Not too many Christmas carols. They don’t sound the same when you’re wearing masks.
December 19
It’s impossible to actually grasp how the stats are going up and up, in all areas of the globe. Most of us don’t have to see this first hand. It’s the front line workers in all the health matters that are carrying the bag for everyone. This is starting to become a very big issue. They’re tired, sad, sick of working overtime to try and save folks from the ravages of the pandemic.
Sad to say, that is fast becoming their new normal.
Two years has changed the old normal for almost anyone on earth. Almost unimaginable, even now, that we could ever go back to our previous way of life.
Travel is a big no-no. Right now I’d have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, if there was any thought of putting me on a plane. Ditto for a train trip. Highly unlikely I’ll be taking any form of public transport either.
It’s all very strange. My preferred normal was quite different until just a couple of years ago. Bitter winter here signaled that it was time to move on to sunny climes elsewhere in the world. It was an escape. Although it seemed a trifle selfish, you could always justify the warm travel experiences as research into how others live.
Seriously, whatever happened to the normal that I never appreciated enough? When approaching Christmas celebrations were actually quite joyful? When families gathered together, unmasked? Heck, you’d have been though of as a crackpot. No one wore masks. Now they’re definitely part of the new normal.
We’d been looking forward to a wonderful occasion, spending time with family about 30 minutes away. But then discovered three of the family had colds. In this new normal that could be symptomatic of the fast spreading omicron virus, so that plan suddenly fell by the wayside!
Instead, early this morning I went shopping for a few groceries. Prices were amazingly high. On the other hand, the shelves seemed to be fully stocked again, which was thrilling! We're still recovering from the flooding in our province, and supplies were severely disrupted.
No visitors. No visiting. This is our new normal. However it’s just a great thing to have the video technology of today. You can keep in virtual touch with friends and loved ones. You’d better learn to appreciate it. We’re now going into the third year of this pandemic, and stats show infections, new cases and deaths are all increasing rapidly.
Apart from the folks who’ve lost loved ones, my thoughts go to children. Some have never known anything but the Covid situation we are confronting. This is their normal. How it will play out in their future is as yet unknown. Safe to say, our older generation stories will become very important to them, and we need to recognize this.
The normal we knew might never come back. If there was ever a time to practise living in the present, this is it, folks.
This blog is my record. My mind has not yet fully comprehended the changes that will become my new normal. But one thing I have to whine about…I don’t want to even contemplate wearing a mask every time I venture out. Please, please say it isn’t so!
Look ahead as the bell tolls for 2022. What will your new normal look like? How will you record it? Could you compare it with the old? Make it part of history for the generations yet to come?
Am I concerned? No, because over the years I’ve learned saffron corms are highly adaptable. So far just this year they’ve come through sweltering heat, months of drought, flooding rains, and now unprecedented low temperatures and snowfall.
They’re better at handling the unexpected than I am!