Zooming Out of COVID Times
Marina Park Walking Friends
Last week my husband and I joined another couple for a fun dinner in a restaurant. Afterwards we visited in their home. Both were firsts for the post-lockdown era. Earlier in the week we attended an outdoor bar-b-que with eight other people, which included our very first non-pod, post-pandemic hugs. My book and wine groups are now scheduling in-person gatherings (one at my home) and my writing group will soon transition back to in-person gatherings. We are not alone in our post-COVID planning. Newscasters are reporting increased demand for hotel rooms, tours, and plane reservations. The Seattle Times reported that our area has one of the highest percentages in the country of residents with travel plans. My husband and I are contributing to that trend, with newly hatched plans to see our daughter and her family in San Francisco in just a few weeks. We will also attend in-person church camp this summer, a fall study tour to the Southeast United States this fall, and international tours in January and October of 2022.
It's been four months since I had my second dose of vaccine and nearly all my friends have also been vaccinated. For those who have been vaccinated, most mask mandates have been dropped, and restrictions on events have been lessened or eliminated. We are tentatively moving toward more normal lives, but with some changes in perspective.
It’s tempting to say we are transitioning back to normal life, but, in reality, our old patterns of life are now history. From here on we live with the knowledge that a pandemic can easily kill us and those we love. Climate change increases the risks. Safety precautions improve our chance of avoiding serious harm or death, but there is no sure defense. We also live with the knowledge that our privileged way of life is not available to most people on this planet. Only a very small percentage of the world population has been vaccinated. Most of my friends have not suffered a financial hardship due to the pandemic. Most have been able to maintain their jobs, income and homes during a time when large numbers of less advantaged people have been pushed into poverty, forced out of their homes, or challenged to take on caretaking responsibilities that preclude earned income. Complicating things even more, many individuals are suffering from mental health, substance abuse or domestic violence problems because of the stresses the pandemic has created, with few resources available to address those issues.
The injustices brought on by the pandemic have occurred in a time of instant cellphone news, which has brought a heightened awareness of racial injustice, police brutality, gun violence, political extremism, and environmental catastrophes, all of which have been made worse by the proliferation of disinformation, lies and conspiracy theories, that are often designed to motivate people to support a particular political agenda.
Post-pandemic life will also be affected by many positive experiences during quarantine time. We’ve learned to use technology more effectively and noticed how easy it is to join friends, family and work colleagues from across the country online, for social events, educational programs and work conferences. We’ve appreciated the ease and comfort of working or attending events from home, at the same time that we miss the personal contact of sharing a physical space. As we make plans to return to in-person gatherings, we don’t want to exclude those who cannot easily travel. The new normal is likely to include online options, as we endeavor to keep everyone involved. Many people have discovered they love having more time at home, for hobbies, gardening and personal reflection. For some, the new normal may include a new pet, a change of employment that allows work from home, or perhaps early retirement. Nothing will be quite the same.
Lots of pandemic masks
The retired crowd is eager to implement travel plans that were interrupted by COVID Times. The urgent desire to travel has several causes: the postponement of past trips, the fear that grandchildren are growing up without knowing their grandparents, and the worry that life can be cut short at any time. We feel compelled to see friends and relatives who are in the later years of their lives before we lose the ability to travel, either because of our own health or a new international crisis.
Post-pandemic life, will, I hope, include a greater appreciation of many things we once took for granted. We now vividly recognize the need for significant changes in our public and private institutions, to address equity issues that have dramatically been brought to our attention. Many of us are making a renewed personal commitment to support those who have suffered the most during COVID times, whose problems have been aggravated by years of institutional discrimination and neglect. We can educate ourselves about these problems and their solutions through reading, study groups, and taking classes which inform us about history that was once hidden from us. We can help our community by supporting inter-faith and multi-racial educational, health, housing and employment efforts. We can donate our time, skills and financial resources to organizations which serve the disadvantaged. In the years ahead, let’s look back at COVID Times as a period of reawakening to the interdependence of our global community and the necessity to consider the impact of our actions on those around the world and future generations, as well as a time for seeking remedies for the unfortunate practices of the past which have contributed to today’s problems. There’s a lot to do and no time to waste.