For so long, COVID dominated not only our headlines, but our whole world. (It still dominates in many parts of the world.) There was nothing to talk about except coronavirus because there was almost nothing else going on — because of coronavirus.
But things are starting to open up now and we’re catching glimpses of normal. We finally have a decent selection of non-COVID stories for you to read (and our reporters have something else to write about). There for a couple months, the Legislature kept us pretty well occupied. Back-to-back graduation weekends — real graduation ceremonies this time, not just names being read aloud on Zoom — let us put some good news on our pages. Now we’re getting updates about fairs and festivals coming back this summer, as well as local markets and events.
We’re not out of this pandemic yet, but it’s nice to see signs that life will go on once quarantine is over.
Even as there are hopeful hints that we’re nearing the end, many of us still feel like we’re stuck in limbo.
COVID numbers are decreasing, but not gone, and some of us are still waging war against the virus that brought the globe to a screeching halt. Maybe we or a loved one are sick with it, or we work on the frontlines and see every day the damage it has wrought and continues to inflict. Or maybe we’re still grieving everything COVID took from us.
Some of us are still wary. You might have heard the pun “mask confusion” (instead of “mass confusion”) lately as mask mandates come and go. The CDC says the fully vaccinated can go back to life without face coverings; some states say no masks for everyone; many businesses are still asking patrons to cover their mouths and noses.
It used to be you got the side-eye for not wearing your mask. (Does “mask-hole” sound familiar?) Now you get the side-eye for wearing your mask, because it looks like you aren’t vaccinated. But a lot of vaccinated people are still being cautious. After a year filled with so much pain and struggle, many of us are taking “better safe than sorry” to heart.
The point is this: The pace of “returning to normal” varies for each of us.
Some of us are lucky; our lives are almost back to what they were pre-pandemic. Some of us aren’t so lucky; we’re still struggling, still mourning, still just trying to take it one day at a time.
We all have different paths to our new post-pandemic “normal.” Some of those paths are a straight shot; some will twist and wind and take a while. Some will be fairly smooth, with only a few bumps; others will be filled with obstacles. Everyone’s road to the future is different.
If you cross someone else’s path, share some kind words or a good deed — something that will give them the strength to keep going, because you can never know how rough their road ahead will be.
