Not Normal
When I was a long-distance runner/walker, I found myself picking up speed at the end of a long haul, anticipating the end. We joked about smelling the barn. A similar feeling seems to be happening at this point in time. Conversation is turning to questions about what we’ll do first when the stay-home orders are lifted.
Where will you go, what will you do? Realistically, physical distancing will be needed until we have a vaccine or, at least, until we have enough tests to determine who is infected and who might be immune. Going to the movies, theater, or concerts doesn’t seem feasible. Yoga and exercise classes while maintaining the required 6-foot distance are possible but unlikely. Patronizing restaurants where our temperatures are taken doesn’t sound very appetizing.
The Balancing Act
What I do know is that we’re all eager to reach that barn door—to resume some semblance of normalcy. I’ve not been a fan of the word “normal” even when things were, er, normal. I once wrote a letter to the communications department of my physical therapy clinic (where I was being treated for my bum knee) because of a newsletter they distributed to clients.
The article in question addressed the issue of improving balance, always an interest of mine. I was stopped dead in my tracks, however, when the opening paragraph stated, “If your balance is getting worse, it isn’t normal.”
I know that worsening balance with age is, in fact, typical and common, which is the definition of normal. As we age, our hearing worsens, our balance falters, our waistline thickens, our hair thins, and we often feel disconnected and isolated. Yes, we can do things to rectify many of our issues and work on enhancing our health, but saying it isn’t normal is just not helpful.
I believe the person who composed the article on balance meant to convey the notion that one can improve balance at any age. That, I can get behind.
Definitely Not Normal
Medical experts are often asked to predict when our lives will get back to normal. One thing is certain: our typical routines will change. Some of those changes I will enjoy. I’ve never been a huge fan of shaking hands with strangers; now I have an excuse to refuse this quaint custom. Buffets have always turned me off; now I can avoid them like the you-know-what, if they’re even permitted.
The “new normal” is hard to imagine in other respects. Flying on sardine-packed aircraft doesn’t seem advisable but spacing is surely not economically feasible for the industry. Even when a vaccine is available, how soon we will feel comfortable going to theaters, concerts, etc. is in question. Images of folks congregating shoulder to shoulder take my breath away.
My counseling and coaching practice will surely change. Although I have worked with clients via videoconferencing long before the pandemic, local clients have enjoyed the comfort of my old, plushy sofa. No possibility of cleaning that germ haven with disinfectant after each visit. Talking with each other while masked seems more of an obstacle than meeting each other screen-to-screen.
Here are a few things that were once “normal” (in my lifetime) but now seem insane:
Driving without seatbelts; riding between the driver and the front-seat passenger.
Walking to the gate of an aircraft without passing through security; greeting out-of-town guests at their gate.
Sunbathing while slathered in baby oil and using a sun reflector.
Holding babies in our laps when driving or riding in a car.
Putting babies in cribs face down.
Smoking cigarettes indoors; using tobacco…period.
Riding in the bed of a pickup truck.
Not wearing helmets on motorcycles.
Hitchhiking.
This is not an exhaustive list, by any means.
Please add your own memories in the comments section below.
While we’re still sheltering-in-place or sneaking out to test the waters, imagining our new life will be a common activity. Although I’m already nostalgic for the good-old-days, I believe, like you, I’m resilient and will adjust to our new world given time. See you on the other side.