Captain’s Log – Day 16 – It’s a Whole New World

Captain’s Log – Day 16 – It’s a Whole New World

Good Morning Friends –

Every morning I wake up and think this has all been a crazy dream or some elaborate April Fools prank, but, sadly, Ashton Kutcher is not going to pop up and tell us we’ve been punked. This is our reality and I think April Fools pranks should be canceled just like everything else these days.

Is this really our new normal? It’s amazing how our day-to-day lives have changed so quickly. We no longer spend time commuting or meeting up with friends for lunch. We don’t go to the gym or out to dinner. We have separation stickers on the store floors and sneeze guards on cashier checkout stands. We have learned the new dance of distance as two walkers approach each other on the streets. It seems disrespectful to even think about our inconveniences while hundreds of thousands of people are fighting for their lives, and for the lives of others. There is no doubt that this event has already altered the planet and shifted how we will live. Long after the story fades from the news cycles, we'll be living with the permanently altered landscape of a society that's far more aware of the dangers of invisible pathogens. Will I ever grab on to the pole on a green line train again without thinking about what might be on it? Will we all be wearing masks? The politicians talk about timelines for returning to something approaching normal, yet I wonder what "normal" is, and whether or not that's something we should be holding out there for ourselves, like a giant carrot at the end of a very long stick. Normal is relative. We will have to adapt and find our new normal. Normal didn't exist before reports started emerging of this mysterious new virus, and it doesn't exist now. The world has changed and there's no going back to the way things were. This is the end of the world as we know it and I’m not sure what it will look like when we are given the ok to go back to the office and start socializing again. Will we still shake hands? Will we go back to carrying reusable shopping bags? Will we continue to stockpile toilet paper? What will our new normal look like?

One of the few certainties in life is that things are going to change. We will soon have to learn how to live in this new world and what changes, if any, were for the better. We’ve been forced to take time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and slow down, way down. Let’s try to focus on all the good things that we can learn from this bad situation. I take some comfort in knowing that we are ALL in this together. We all need to take care of each other and make sacrifices now so we can get past this and move on in the new world.

Say goodbye to March, it’s time to turn the page

As we gear up for April let me set the stage.

We’ll adhere to social distancing and follow all the rules

It can’t be very difficult as we’ve been given all the tools.

Stop hoarding all the goods because someone needs it more

Think hard about your wants before you walk into a store.

Check on friends and family because they may not be okay

Just a simple cheerful phone call could really make their day.

Pay it forward if you can during these very troubling times

Especially to the angels who are working the front lines.

We’ll return to a sense of normalcy if everyone is smart

I believe this too shall pass if we simply do our part.

~J. Surette

Peace out.