My New Normal: April 2020 in Toronto
Yes, it is still 2020. Yes, COVID-19 is still rampant around the world. We still don’t know when it will end, if and when there is going to a second or third wave, and when vaccines would start to be available.
Time is at a standstill, the days are going by without naming themselves a Sunday or Monday, March 18th or April 18th. Time of Use rates for electricity in Ontario have been nulled, so even scheduling activities like cooking, doing laundry, turning on the dishwasher and analyzing when to charge devices has vanished. Hours are just that: hours. I’m losing control; it’s not helping me with the daily organization. There’s a change in comings and goings and we don’t know when this normal is going to end, reverting back to the old normal. Others are calling this the new normal…
I’m posting this on April 18, yet I wrote this post all the way back on April 6.
It occurred to me yesterday (April 5), I believe, that I cannot go out of the house. Like it hit me personally. And before you go on believing that I was traversing and gathering in parks, self-isolating for me is normal. I only go out occasionally for groceries. The last I met outsiders (not including my household) was a few days ago when my aunt dropped off fish and chips (fries). Now it’s more strict. Last I wandered outside of my existence was for meat groceries, which was the 9th of March. And, no, I haven’t stockpiled like crazy either. My father brings in the groceries weekly.
Yet, quite stupidly on my part, I got anxious over all of the limitations. Just like that, all of a sudden. I can only imagine what it must be like for those whose lives depend on going out for work and play. I have been keeping up with the news and people’s stories, the number of cases and the government rules. After getting so worried and stressed about work and health, I started reflecting on everything. What the mental anguish must be like, compared to mine. All those health care workers and essential business owners working at a higher level of uncertainty. For me, I’ve concluded, it’s just an uncomfortable situation that I wish to go away.
