Cue the Barbara Streisand soundtrack we are about to review “The Way We Were.”
Has anyone else pondered what our return to “old normal” will be like? Will it actually be “old normal” or will we keep calling it “new normal,” or even better, the “the new, new normal.” My husband recently asked me a similar question, as he was trying to remember what has changed about our life, because honestly this new normal has become, well, so normal. We both wondered what new habits we will carry forward from our pandemic life into our post pandemic life.
For fun I jotted down some of the things I enjoyed in “Pandemic Normal” and things I look forward to in “Post Pandemic Normal.” Perhaps they will inspire you to create your own list, or at least provide you with a
much needed chuckle.
Let’s be honest one thing we all need in our post pandemic life is more moments to laugh!
|
|
Pandemic Normal |
Post Pandemic Normal |
|
1. |
More family dinners (but maybe with someone else doing the cooking) |
An out-of-home office for my husband |
|
2. |
Taking naps (I can’t blame the pandemic for this) |
Continue taking naps |
|
3. |
Zoom Calls |
Face-to-face time |
|
4. |
Athleisure (I loved sweatpants) |
More reasons to dress up, well maybe just a nicer shirt with my sweatpants. |
|
5. |
Binge Watching (to be honest I will never stop this) |
Movie theatres |
|
6. |
Staycations |
Vacations (important to note it’s okay if you decide to take these alone J) |
|
7. |
Daily Walks |
Daily walks |
|
8. |
Sunday Drives *** only the ones where the kids aren’t fighting |
Sunday sports games/Tourneys/and shows/concerts for our kids |
|
9. |
Paddle (only include the matches I won, kidding, sort of) |
Golf/Hiking |
|
10. |
Taking pause |
Staying mindful |
Upon completing my list, I could feel my energy shifting.
Even though I know the end is in sight I sometimes let the monotony of this uncertain time overwhelm me. As I outlined my “Pandemic Normal” I felt less resentful about this time of isolation and more grateful as I realized it forced me and my family to take time for ourselves without feeling like we were letting others down. Similarly, as I wrote out my “Post Pandemic Normal” my mindset shifted from frustrated too hopeful. I feel more energized, more excited and more optimistic about our next phase whatever we decide to call it as long as it makes us all feel a bit more normal.
