So many things have changed since March of 2020. This pandemic adventure has brought a new awareness of how local, national, and international events are all tied together. Everything is personal and everyone is connected—whether we like it or not. Apparently, some people don’t like it at all. They prioritize the personal over community as a default. In the realm of public health this especially difficult.
I’m not going to start a rant here. Rants are so commonplace right now. I’d like to shift to something forward-looking. Let’s see what will stick around when the world is closer to normal. Will people be more careful and caring of each other’s health concerns? This could be wearing a mask when you have a cold and need to be out in public. Not that long ago, this was a rare sight here in the U.S. but common in parts of Asia. I can see how it makes sense.
What about other considerations? As the lockdown was loosening/tightening/loosening (you get the picture) I noted how people were more open to casual chitchat. We all had more time to make the delivery guy laugh, to spend an extra couple of minutes discussing fancy masks on the check-out line at the supermarket, to or talk about the weather on a long customer service phone call. Will being NICE stick around?
I have noted that missing dancing Tango made me considerably less picky about partners when I returned to dancing again (and again and again with the roller coaster of changes). I am simply so happy to be dancing that I’m better able to make each experience on the dance floor more satisfying—even with less-than-perfect partners.
I’ve yet to travel—but travel will soon be more than my continual daydream—and I’m wondering if I’ll approach my adventures with a new yardstick. Will I be more forgiving of flight delays? More easy-going about the hotel room that’s not ready until hours after my arrival time? I’ve always done my best to roll with the unplanned adventures. Will I be more relaxed?
But this is not all about me. It’s about characters in stories and the impact of the pandemic on their fictional lives and experiences. I’m picturing how a detective in a mystery circa 2019 might interpret the pantry of a suspect if it held four six-packs of jumbo toilet paper rolls, a huge box of disinfectant wipes, a bulk-buy box of hand sanitzer spray bottles, boxes of protein bars, pounds of dried beans, pounds of flour, a year’s supply of canned tomatoes, and a pasta maker. Back in 2019, the detective might conclude that person was compulsive, paranoid, preparing for a disaster or all three. In 2022, just add a few Covid home tests and a bag of KN95 masks and the detective might conclude that the suspect was a typical homeowner with a fondness for homemade linguini.
Yes, the pandemic has left its mark—even on characters in mystery fiction.
What changes do YOU think will stick?
Your description of the pantry made me laugh out loud. That’s me to a ‘T’.
The kindness thing though…I fear that the people who have always showed kindness and compassion and tolerance will do more of all three in the years to come. Those who only gave lip service to those attributes? Those who threw pretence away during the years leading up to the pandemic and during? I can’t see /them/ having a global Road to Damascus moment. The Karens of this world have enjoyed their new found ‘freedom’. I can’t see them giving it up and becoming model citizens. The pandemic may end, but i don’t think the hatred will.
Unfortunately you are likely right about the Karens and their ilk. But I have noticed a continuation of “checking in” on people who might need help and some genuine happiness on a sunny day in the park. Of course sunny days in February do make New Yorkers insanely happy in normal years. Hatred is one thing. It’s a hard one to change. But taking a little time to be gracious… or silly… or playful… or just polite. I think that’s doable for a lot of people. I don’t anticipate a lot of new model citizens. I do hope that normal gets a bit nicer.
Now, back to your pantry… the pasta maker or just the toilet paper and cleaning products?