The New Normal: From someone who has been cautiously exploring the world

Written June 6, 2020

Earlier today, I met up with my parents for them to get Hannah for the night.   The last time we met up at this restaurant was before the stay at home order, 13 weeks ago.   I can barely comprehend how much things have changed since then.   In my personal life 3 months ago, Hannah was much smaller and said fewer words and I was working full time in an office.  We had no idea what was coming in a couple weeks.   At that particular time, we were kind of laughing about coronavirus because it seemed to just be the next thing the news was focused on at the time.   Now I never want to hear that word again.

Places have been slowly opening over the past few weeks.  Some states are pretty much at full capacity and have been for a bit, Ohio is mostly open but with limited capacity at most places and a few states still have more places shut down. In talking with co-workers, friends, and family, opening up has been kind of strange because many people are on different pages.   Some people are out living it up, some still are not leaving their house unless they have to and a lot of people are spread out in the middle.   I have been out more than most people around the Columbus area.   I go to work twice a week downtown.  Yes in downtown Columbus.  That has been its own strange experience.  I am not near the protests, but every place in the area of my work has the windows boarded up out of precaution after one of the businesses across the street was damaged during riots last week.  

Hannah started back to daycare last week for the two days I am at work.    I met a friend for dinner on a patio last week.  Andy and I ate and did wine tastings on a few patios when we went to Lake Erie a couple weeks ago.   I have only been in stores a hand full of times the past few weeks.  All of this is not a lot compared to my normal but it is increasing all the time and it is more than most people I know in the area.   I can tell you from being out today, this weekend seems to be the one where traffic is starting to pick up.  There was not just more people out, but actual slow traffic going the opposite way from me on Morse Road heading toward Easton.  It is very refreshing to see people out and I am thankful for what it will do to help the economy.  I am not excited for normal rush hour traffic to return and most people I have talked to in the area are dreading that.

 Now that I have been to a variety of places, I will tell you that some places are more comfortable/normal than others.   First, anywhere away from the city is way better than in the city.   In the city, there are not only more people, but there are more people wearing masks and many places just are not built for social distancing.   The vibe was more relaxed up at Lake Erie and we were able to enjoy ourselves more, even a couple weeks ago.   Today I adventured into a few retail stores.   Keep in mind I am more relaxed about this than most people in this area.   And I still don’t really like shopping right now.   It is super awkward to try to avoid people in the small aisle ways between clothes.  Some stores have done a better job of spreading things out, but then you are trying to make sure you are going the right way with the one way arrows, which means sometimes walking way around to get to your size section.   I also like to touch things way too much in retail stores and then I start thinking “don’t touch your face” the whole time.   Overall it is not my type of shopping experience.  It is better than being closed, but I would rather feel more relaxed.  Also, I have not seen any open fitting rooms right now. The way sizing varies even within the same size and brand, I like to try on most clothes before I buy them. I went into Field and Stream though and it was a better experience.  It is more spread out and because of that most people didn’t wear masks (I’m not big on them but I wear them if I’m inside a place where most people have them on or it is hard to social distance to be courteous).  I didn’t find what I was looking for to get Andy for Father’s Day but it was much nicer.

As for restaurants, I have only been to about a handful both on patios and inside.   I think this is probably the best time to go eat at a restaurant cleanliness wise.   They are being so careful about everything.   Plus the tables are spread out so you can enjoy yourself without a mask.   I would not feel awkward eating inside anywhere right now.  I have also used the bathroom in a few of them and they have been super clean.   A couple of the bathrooms even had funny things to sing to make sure you wash your hands 20 seconds.  I appreciated that little reminder for everyone.

Now let’s get to the serious stuff, wine tastings LOL.   I have done two since things have started to open back up.   The winery up at Lake Erie was on the patio and the one near here was inside but very regulated due to the small space.  Both did a great job and if you are not relaxed when you get there, you will be after a few tastes so it’s all good.  

The other public place I have been is the grocery store.  I will always dislike it, corona or not.  We have done Kroger Clicklist grocery pick up for years and that has continued through this, even when I had to order a whole week in advance.   I have had to go a few times for random things we could not get through pick up, and I did not enjoy it.  Mostly because grocery stores, like retail stores, are not set up for social distancing.   You have to awkwardly wait for other people to be done looking over items to get what you need because you cannot just reach around and say excuse me (some brave people do but I’m not about to get in a fight with someone who thinks I might have just given them coronavirus). Unlike retail stores, I am usually not buying anything fun either so it really just isn’t my thing.  

 One activity that has not been restricted during this time is being out on the lake.  I have been out a couple times and Andy has been out at least once a week.    It is so nice to get away from things and get some fresh air.   Apparently everyone else agrees too because there have been way more people on the lakes by us compared to other years.   Between the decent weather (for Ohio) and so many other activities being closed, more people are out boating and kayaking on the local lakes.   This change is one of the few positive changes I have seen due to the coronavirus.   It is great to see so many people out with their families enjoying the outdoors.    It has not been as fun waiting in line to get the boat in the water or watching out for people who do not know how to drive their boats well, but overall a positive change.

 In the next two weeks, I will be going to playgrounds and the zoo as they open.  I will also finally get my hair cut on the 17^th so I can go back to normal long hair instead of the hippie vibe I have now (it is kind of cool, but way too hot for now).   I know some people are not ready to go back to these experiences and I respect that.   We all have had to weigh mental health risks with staying at home more versus the health risk of coronavirus.  Some people have found the virus to be a bigger threat, but based on my personality and the actual numbers versus what was projected, I have decided to start getting out more.  I am especially enjoying outdoor activities when the weather allows it due to the low risk and my love of being outside.   I hope as everyone gets out more we see this as an experience we have learned from.   I hope we all slow down a little bit compared to our schedules before all of this while appreciating the things we were not able to do during the stay at home order.   I am as optimistic as ever that God can use everything going on for good if we allow Him to.