I woke up this morning wondering what going back to normal meant. Truth be told, I am not one to ponder philosophical questions such as the meaning of life or the vastness of the universe. But for once I felt a bit apprehensive. My head was full of random questions. For instance, what am I going to do with all the little things I learned about myself during this lockdown, such as the fact that I can’t catch a chicken and that I actually like yoga? What will change? Will I go back to the office full time like before?
Mind you, I am all zoomed out. Talking face to face to real human beings as opposed to a computer will be a welcome change. The teenagers of the house are all very happy to go back to school full time. They are already trying to organize the next holidays and invite friends over at the beach house. It certainly looks like life as we knew it pre- Covid 19.
But is it really? It’s Sunday and the teenagers are already awake. At 7am. This is unheard of. The girls are now growing rosemary, thyme, basil and lavender in the garden. Before this lockdown, they were die-hard city girls. They have actually grown up at a faster pace over the last few weeks. They have also learned a lot of useful life skills such as emptying the dishwasher and doing their own laundry. They even gave me a lovely card and some chocolates for Mother’s day. Good girls. This lockdown has actually brought the family together, which is nice.
Maybe I don’t want to go back to normal. The teenagers used to wake up in the middle of the day and whine all the time, and I certainly don’t miss it. Let’s hope they will keep the good habits. Hmm, I am not sure that hope is a strategy…
Some things will of course never change. As an example, it has become evident that a lot of so-called experts don’t have the faintest idea of what they are talking about. For instance, herd immunity sounds like an interesting concept, but like most concepts reality is very different. Just ask the British if you are not convinced. The British government’s mathematical modelling apparently took precedence over the basic, tried-and-tested public health approach. I have read that they used the same mathematical modelling that developed fancy new financial products that eventually led to the banking crisis of 2008. It wouldn’t surprise me. I don’t know if it’s true. But it doesn’t matter: the British government seems more popular then ever. In the meantime, despite France’s infection and death rates being much lower than in the UK, my fellow Frenchmen are criticizing the French government extremely harshly. Go figure.
In Australia, we have flattened the curve. After a quick look at Google, I found out that there were no active Covid 19 cases where we currently live. None whatsoever.
In New South Wales there are only have a handful of new cases every day, compared to hundreds in France and thousands in the UK. So why am I so anxious to go back to normal? The chances to catch the virus are very limited. If anything we should be in a better position than most other countries.
Simply put, I have no idea where this anxiety is coming from. It all happened so suddenly, I suppose. We had to drop everything and start living in lockdown. After a few weeks we took it in our stride, and it soon felt like the new normal.
Spending more time at the beach house was actually nice and going back to the city feels a bit like going backwards. Maybe it’s time to reassess my priorities and organize myself a bit differently. Come to think of it, I actually feel different.
How? Well, I have rediscovered that it’s the small things that matter. When I woke up this morning, the sky was pink and it made me really happy. I also had a conversation about Justin Bieber with my younger teenage daughter. Yes, an actual conversation. The problem is that he always tries to hit the highest possible note, and it doesn’t work, according to her. Tough.
And am I also the only one to think that the press has never been so useless? I am becoming more and more disappointed with the level of articles that I read and find myself looking for facts and scientific papers rather than reading sensationalistic articles and opinions I completely disagree with. Words are overrated anyway. Actions speak way louder than them. I am so over click bait articles and inflammatory opinions that I have canceled all my subscriptions.
And yes, I am tired. I am always tired. Why have things changed so little for working mothers? It feels like there is always something more expected of me. I’ve had enough.
So why am I anxious to go back to normal? Well, I suppose I don’t know what the new normal will be, but I know that, as usual, it will be down to me to make it work.
