Are People Losing Interest?

It's been more than a year since everyone's lives changed dramatically due to the Covid pandemic. Our schedules and daily routines changed, where we work from changed for some (now the make-shift home office or dining room table), what we wear while we work changed (forget the khakis - it's all about jeans and leggings and t-shirts), our eating habits changed (with the occasional treat of picking up a carry out), and some of us saw some different numbers appearing on our bathroom scale. 

We've learned to adapt and adjust when necessary. We had to temporarily quit doing some of the things we always liked to do; social gatherings, going to church in-person, birthday parties, etc. Some things are starting to return to our routines, but slowly and in ways that seem a little different. Restaurants can offer indoor dining, but with a 50% capacity. We still wear face masks where required. We've started going back to church with socially distanced pews, but we miss sharing the peace and giving hugs ... but we'll get there.

As things have changed we have to wonder how much WE have changed in the process. I've heard it said that once you do something OR not do something for three weeks it becomes a habit. It makes you wonder if people will get too used to their new routines and the dos and don'ts that were thrust upon them. Will they lose interest in the things and people that once meant so much to them? Will previous extroverts now become introverts because it's easier? Or will we understand that the changes were merely choices we were forced to make and be willing to go back to our previous 'normal'?

Right or wrong, I have now had both doses of my Covid vaccine and waited out my two week post-shot period. I'm sure that the first time I meet up with other friends who are also vaccinated without a mask will seem a little apprehensive and risky; kind of like taking the leap into the deep waters of the pool. We'll just have to hold our breath and do it to get past it.

I have faith that with time we will get past it and remember our former selves. It's the only choice I have because I refuse to adapt to a 'new normal' with no timeline. I want more than that for all of us. We deserve more than that. I will continue to make the best choices I can for myself and my family and hope that it will be enough.

What is the biggest thing you've missed during the pandemic?

Have you resumed doing anything specific and how was it for you?

Don't Pretend To Be An Expert

Some days our world seems a little crazier than other days. I wish I knew the answer to the big WHY questions. Why is the pandemic still going? Why aren't things back to normal? Why are some companies having a hard time hiring employees? Why don't some people want to work? Covid has become the convenient excuse when we don't have a good answer. Why are gas prices going up? ... must be because of Covid. Why are we encouraged to still wear masks in public? ... must be because of Covid. Why does it take longer these days to build a new house? ... must be because of Covid.

We are constantly dealing with unknowns, lots of questions, and often misdirection ... from the media, from our leaders, and even the people we know. We can ask Siri anything we want to know anytime we want to know it. We have technology at our fingertips, which for some reason seems to make us think we're suddenly experts on everything. Either that or many people have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express and feel a lot smarter (at least that's what the commercials suggest).

Information is a good thing when we use it in proper context and do our research, but when we only tap the surface and then run with the information we can become an unnecessary roadblock. A lot of people have become too quick to offer their advice and sometimes to total strangers who never asked for their input. Opinion is one thing, but offering up self-defined lines of what is right and what is wrong is something else entirely.

Just a suggestion; research the Internet all you want and begin building your information foundation, but before you begin offering up free advice to other people imagine walking in someone else's shoes for a moment and then decide if your 'advice' will be welcomed and well received or not. If it's the latter, then it might be best to keep your 411 on the downlow for a while.