Maybe it is just me but the pandemic changed me. A lot. In a lot of ways. I have been thinking about this lately and wondered if any of my readers have felt a shift as well.
The Covid 19 Pandemic really took a toll in a lot of ways. While it really started becoming a thing in 2019, the impact of 2020 was what really changed my view of things dramatically. I don’t think any of us who were a part of it can say it did not affect them.
I find myself more into cleanliness and hygiene and think back to the days before we knew anything about the virus. We wiped down groceries with Clorox wipes. We wiped down mail. We stayed far away from people. We. wore masks and upgraded to the N95 masks which were more protective. We washed our hands incessantly. I bought hand sanitizer by the gallon. I fanatically cleaned for awhile. Sadly that has gone by the wayside 5 years later.
Neither Chris and I were working a job in an office at that time but work certainly changed . Chris worked for clients remotely and built up his business while people were out of the offices. Digital transformation became a bigger thing and he trained, took courses and became an expert at consulting with companies that needed his expertise.
This weekend as we were at the Farmers’ Market in town we realized, once again, the effects the pandemic had on us. We shy away from crowds a lot more now and at this market in particular, Chris commented that a lot of folks seemed like their perimeter sensors were not working. If you know, you know. Chris’ car has this great feature that warns you if you are too close to something in the front, sides or back. The sensors detect objects and the car beeps and shows you where the object is. Well, at this market there were a lot of folks who were just too close to us. They obviously were not clued into the maintain your distance thing anymore and were right up in our faces as they pushed to get in line for the different vendors. I do think I am still in that “maintain 6 feet of distance” mode of operation when I am in a crowd like that and it definitely is not always possible.
I do think the pandemic encouraged us to look out for one another a bit more and show more compassion. As I watched a medical helicopter take off from the hospital as I waited for Chris to finish his eye appointment, I was once again reminded of our fabulous medical professionals who really risked so much to help others during the pandemic. It seemed that there was so much love and support for them and I wish that that was still the case but I am not sure that that has carried through.
What do you think? Were you changed by the pandemic or is it just me?
