What’s Your New Normal?

This is part of a weekly series of writing pieces I’ll be publishing each Friday during COVID-19.

About a week after our local shelter-in-place order was official, I heard the term “new normal” and thought it was kind of funny. Like many people I know, there was a part of me that yearned to go back to the life and freedom that is now seemingly distant. But the more I think about it, there is no doubt in my mind that a “new normal” will be our new reality. I believe this is true for society overall, but also for each of us individually.

Personally, I know that my life post-COVID will be very different that it was pre-COVID (more to come about that in a future post!). It’s ironic that forcing people to stay home and regulating their social behavior can create some epiphanies but here are some I’m experiencing and/or observing in myself and others:

Epiphany #1: Life is fragile. Perhaps it’s just me and a mid-life sensitivity to mortality, but I’m really seeing how fragile life can be. Each day, I’m hearing of a direct or once-removed connection that has fallen ill or worse still, has passed away (from both COVID as well as non-COVID causes). I think there was a time in life that I really believed I was infallible for at least another 30–40 years, but that ship has sailed. Not sure if it came from learning that the President of Harvard got COVID, or…