A Glimpse of What Our New ‘Normal’ Might Look Like

Schools closed, large events were cancelled, businesses were ordered to close their doors to the public and people were asked to work from home. We were told to stay at home, except for essentials such as grocery shopping, or going to the pharmacy. This meant no visits with family or friends for the foreseeable future. So many lives changed drastically.

On this sweltering summer afternoon, I reflect back on the last four months and how our lives changed so quickly back in early March. Can you believe it has been over 100 days since the State of Emergency was declared in Ontario? In many ways it feels much longer, as so much has happened in a short time.

As tough as the measures put into place were, I fully support the decisions made to mitigate the spread of this terrible virus that knows no boundaries.
If you are interested about a timeline of the early days of the pandemic and the events that unfolded, I encourage you to take a read of the following entry on Wikipedia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Ontario

Good news! It’s looking like there is finally light at the end of the tunnel. With the majority of the province coming together during this extremely difficult time, we have flattened the curve. Slowly, but surely the economy is starting to recover and we are starting to see what our lives will be like for the coming weeks and months. There are many new realities we will have to face and accept. Our lives cannot and will not be the same. We have to adapt to the new ‘normal’.

This situation has impacted people differently and I would like to share some of the ways my and Brendan’s life is now different. What it really boils down to is living a more simple, intentional life.

Going out, whether it be to run errands, or to see family, or a few select friends takes a bit of planning nowadays. It means making sure we have our ‘to go’ COVID kit, which includes our masks, hand sanitizer and gloves. In the past, we would stop at the grocery or drug store on a regular basis to pick up a couple items or have a leisurely coffee at a local cafe. We try very hard now to plan what we will need for longer periods of time to limit unnecessary outings.

A hard part of the new reality is limiting interactions with family and friends and keeping six feet apart when we do visit people. We know, however, that this is one of the best measures to keep us and others safe. On the plus side, we have gotten to know our neighbours better and have had regular conversations with them, from a safe distance, of course.

Supporting local businesses has always been something important to us, but even more so now. We are happy to order takeout from a small, family run restaurant, or purchase products from a local business, whether it be a flower shop, coffee shop, bakery, hair salon, etc. We are so proud of the Milton community we live in and how everyone is coming together and supporting one another. There are many businesses that we were not aware of before and are excited to support.

As much as Brendan and I miss going out for dinner, we have enjoyed takeout meals once in a while from our favourite restaurants. Instead of eating out of the takeout containers, we make it date night at home, where we pull out our fancy dishes, get dressed up and try to make it feel special.

Over the past few months, we have also noticed how much money we are saving. It is considerable. We have been cooking and eating a lot more at home, not going shopping for clothes and other nice to have items. Another huge saving has been on our vehicles, since we have only put one tank of gas in each vehicle since the start of the pandemic, compared to previously using about six tanks of gas per month. Brendan is now working from home and for the foreseeable future, only going into the office on an occasional basis. I already was working from home running my own business. As such, we are evaluating our need for leasing two cars.  It might make sense to only have one vehicle, which would reduce our costs even more.

Over the years, Brendan and I have been fortunate to have been able to travel to many places. We have enjoyed vacations in different countries and would usually look forward to planning our next destination. Due to the circumstances, we will not be boarding a plane for quite some time, as we don’t believe it is worth the risk of our health and safety. If, and that is a big if, we travel anywhere, it will likely be more locally, within driving distance.

What does your new ‘normal’ look like? Is there something you miss from your previous lifestyle? Is there something about your new lifestyle that you appreciate more?