June 10th, 2020 - What we might carry forward

What habits, what thoughts, what deeds will carry forward?

I'm curious about which of our many new 'Rona Habits we will take with us into whatever new future beckons. Will we avoid handshakes altogether  - or rush back to gladhanding again, so eager to press flesh, to acknowledge another's existence?  Will we become a country that casually dons masks when colds and allergies strike, doffing them when jogging at the beach?

Today I joined a friend for a long Socially Distanced walk. She told me that her brother-in-law, her sister's husband, had died two nights ago of a sudden heart attack, standing up from the tv chair, collapsing, gone.  My friend's impulse was to book a flight to Oregon to be with her sister, to be the strong aunt for her two nieces and their children, to cook and organize and help with the funeral.

But the thought of traveling, of public bathrooms, of the lines in airports, of sitting so close to others on the plane, of walking past others down the aisle, of contact with the family, whom she hadn't seen for three months, of having to quarantine for two weeks before getting to hug her sister.  Will these continue to be the thoughts and processes of our future?

Browsing the outdoor garden section at Ace resembled the past.  But not touching something unless I intended to purchase it, never putting something back on the shelf; that's new now and may become habit. Washing my hands the minute I return to the house, before I touch anything else.  Ordering takeout rather than sitting down in a restaurant.

Planning short trips - go to one store, one destination and return home, rather than the longer routes I used to design. In the Before Times, if I was going to the gym on the other side of town, I'd hit several places along the way: Acre Coffee, perhaps, or Trader Joe's and the Pet Store or Lombardi's for BBQ chicken for dinner. I'd go to the Farmers Market and drop in at Ace or the Dandy Market for spices. No longer.  Now I fit all my trip between bathroom visits, which must be taken at home. Even if public bathrooms are available, would I even use them? Not yet.