Today felt, well, normal. By normal, of course I am referring to “new normal”. Our lives are being reshaped, and we’re changing in response.
Our new normal is now a routine: Get up, Duolingo, run, yoga, meditation, breakfast, WFH.
Deepak says it takes 21 days to form a habit. Not sure yet whether this is one of those habits we’ll want to kick when we’re sick of it. D says “We’re now living the life of the Useless Class.” Anyhow, we’re 21 (and change) days in, and we’re provisionally finding our groove.
Meanwhile, A attends online school. She sits at her bedroom desk, whilst FatCat observes from the bed. Lessons end at 9.45am due to time difference in UK.
B is up early. It’s noon. Luckily his online course starts next week. That’ll be interesting.
A catches up on recorded lessons, that she missed earlier in the morning. “There’s no way I’m getting up at 3am!” she says, rightly.
She tells me how much better this way of working is. “Plus” she says, “I can eat snacks and wear PJs”. New and improved school, indeed.
CI Gov Press brief: No new positive cases to report. Mass screening has begun for frontline workers.
Global news: Global cases exceed 2.5m.
Italy report first fall in active cases. Football clubs agree to complete season. Paris suburbs hit by riots. Brazil’s indigenous groups go under lockdown. Indian migrant workers are stranded in cities. US total deaths exceed 45k. NY deaths exceed 19k. Anti-lockdown protests continue. Trump plans to ban immigration. Netflix is booming. Oil is not. UK death toll exceeds 17k. Vaccine to be trialed on humans from Thursday. Happy 94th birthday Your Madge! 👑
Our friend, who owns the Office Supply store, has kindly driven all the way from town to drop off much needed school supplies, and paints. She arrives wearing glasses, mask and gloves, and our package is lightly coated in disinfectant. I appreciate – as I write this – how surreal it sounds to say how delighted we both were to see each other in person, for those few stolen moments. Who knows when we’ll meet normally again.
A&I go for a very long bike ride. I can’t keep up with her, (she’s on mine, and I’m on D’s massive cruiser,) she is speeding down the street.
It seems as if the whole neighbourhood is out exercising. Waving and well wishing is now de-rigeur. A thoughtful neighbour offers me a local mango – we arrange a time for a covert collection of this coveted fruit. 🥭
Water the garden. Our beans are starting to look like beans.
At Dinner B is feeding the dog pieces of rare steak under the table.
“We don’t ever feed her at the table” I scold.
“I do” says B, “so that she’ll like me most.”
Dog looks like she is just fine with the bribery. She looks at me as if to say “New times. New rules.”
I once read that early humans, trapped in a hostile environment, thrived when they cooperated, typically in groups of a hundred or so. Now, once again, locked-down by nature, isolated into small communities, are our survival instincts re-emerging? New normal may become, well, …just normal.
