How the pandemic is changing my life

 

For those like me who live in Northern California, it's been a month since we started sheltering in place. It was rough at first, even though I'm a boring person who didn't go out much even before COVID-19. However, I still went to the office for work, exercised at the gym, visited the library, and dined in restaurants. I've done none of those things for the past month. While I'm becoming more used to the shelter-in-place routine, things are still different than they were before.

I believe that, like every crisis we've faced throughout history, we will get through this one too. Weeks or months from now, we will be able to return to the life that we had before. However, as with all major events, COVID-19 will change how we live our lives. Personally, I'm already noticing a few different ways that I view things.

• Social distancing - I've become so used to keeping six feet away from everyone that when I watch a movie on TV now, I cringe when the characters are close together. Why are you talking in each other's faces? Why can't you have that exchange while standing six feet apart? If social distancing is so ingrained in me now, it'll take me a while to feel comfortable being physically near strangers again. I shudder to think of the day I have to ride the train to go to the office again.
• Delivery services - I rarely used delivery services before the pandemic. I bought everything in person at the stores, and I preferred eating at restaurants or ordering take-out from the counter instead of having my meals delivered. With sheltering in place, I've been ordering something to be delivered almost everyday. A new world of options has opened up to me, and I have a feeling that after it's safe to go out in public again, I'll use more delivery services than I have in the past.
• Virtual meetings - Before the pandemic, I'd have virtual meetings with co-workers who were located in different cities. Now, every meeting is virtual. My wife has been holding virtual meetings with co-workers for the first time. It's a trend that already started before COVID-19, but virtual meetings will become more and more commonplace for us.
• Entertainment at home - In my last blog post, I mentioned that one of the benefits of this pandemic is that I should have more time to read, and indeed, I have. I've also discovered some good movies and TV shows that are available from the comforts of the living room. Does this mean I'll always stay home for entertainment? Probably not, but now I know it's possible to keep myself entertained without leaving the house.

How has the pandemic changed the way you view how you live your life?