I have ventured outside the quarantine bubble and the future looks like a mixed bag.
wthey have Wi-Fi and a few diet soft drinks to choose from. It’s usually a very quiet place during the week and easy to get work done. y local cigar shop, mask and sanitizer in hand. Now don’t hate. I’m not able to smoke due to some dental surgery, but I know
they have Wi-Fi and a few diet soft drinks to choose from. It’s usually a very quiet place during the week and easy to get work done.
This time the joint was jumping. It was as if I traveled by time machine many many ages ago: Three months, to February 2020.
No distancing here. People were sitting next to each other in large leather chairs. In line at the register, there was no such thing as 6-ft of space. And I actually saw two guys touch each other (get your mind out of the gutter. It was a fist bump).
Now if I were going to stereotype based on race, age, weight, baseball cap, etc., I’d guess most of these folks where older white guys of the variety that liked to listen to the person occupying the White House. So they may or may not be listening to the likes of Dr. Fauci or the other 7 billion residents of the world, but they were having fun.
The lounge had more than just one of the large screen TVs blaring. A few of the guys were playing an arcade game (again, no 6-ft rule being employed) and one guy was yelling over the din to have a FaceTime conversation with his daughter. It was downright exhausting. Input overload. I left.
Although the amount of traffic appears to be getting back to pre-COVID conditions the driving isn’t. I used to know which lane moved faster than the other and which bridges were quicker to cross. But now all that’s messed up. It’s as if people are learning how to drive poorly all over again. It’s making me want COVID to stick around just so I can have the roads to myself.
I’m one of those planners who’s mostly optimistic. I feel we’ll come out stronger on the other end, and it won’t take us that long to get there. But when normal returns, whenever that will look like, it’ll take some getting used to. And might require masks, for the good of all of us.
We’ll have to learn to get up early, shower and put on clothes. Our first full days back out will tire us quickly and hard. Doing a regular 8-hour work day will feel like a week. Start now. Pretend you’re not working from your home. Shower each morning and then have breakfast. At least once a week, get dressed, with shoes and all. Unplug from social media, news, etc., for a little bit each day. Lastly, get outside. Don’t let the isolation win.
Believe me, when it’s your time to get back out, maybe you won’t’ get as worn out as I.