As we navigate the summer of our discontent, many of us are anxiously watching the numbers – the COVID case increases/decreases, the careful reopening of some businesses and permanent closing of others, the stock market ups and downs, and the status of our bank account balances. And don’t forget that other vital figure – the status of our waistlines.

We are also waiting impatiently for the development of the promised vaccine, continued advancements in COVID treatment options since the early months, and increasing proof that wearing masks, physical distancing and washing/sanitizing our hands regularly does work. We are socializing outdoors as much as the weather permits before the colder temperatures shut us back into our houses. We have settled into our social bubbles. We are completing “home improvements” like we haven’t in years.

Despite yourself, it seems that a quiet acceptance (or it is tired resignation?) to the new realities is slowly setting in. In fact, it’s happening so imperceptibly that you aren’t even really aware of it. Not convinced this is true? Here are some of the signs that you are adapting to the new normal:

1. You have deleted all the airline apps off your phone. After all, you won’t be flying anywhere for the next two years. Might be even longer if you can’t find COVID-proof travel insurance;
2. You now own a funky/fashionable/functional collection of face masks. You can speak knowledgably about design features and fit. You have them stashed everywhere – your purse, your briefcase, your glove compartment, near the front door, in the laundry basket. You even have a secret stockpile that you are carefully hiding for those emergencies like when one of the kids inevitably loses theirs or a friend turns up without one. The only thing you own more of is hand sanitizer (should have bought those shares!);
3. You have long since realized that you will NEVER again find Lysol wipes in the supermarket and have responded with various creative life hacks to this little problem. Turns out that life does go on even when the sky is falling;
4. You have resigned yourself to all the permanent stains on your clothing and car upholstery from the now-ubiquitous hand sanitizer. In fact, you feel more panicked these days when you forget your sanitizer and mask than you used to when you left your phone at home. The smell of hand sanitizer has actually become an aphrodisiac. You like the green kind the best;
5. The dog doesn’t bark anymore when the Uber Eats delivery person arrives at the front door. You have become friends and are on a first-name basis. You inquire about her family, while she comments about the progress your garden is making;
6. The only people you hug anymore are those who share genetic material with you (or those who have acquired such status by marriage). This is the extent of your social life because these people, your family, are the only ones allowed inside the house as part of your social circle;
7. You haven’t been on public transit since … was it March 12^th? No, March 11^th when you went out for dinner and didn’t want to drive afterwards. Then again, maybe it was March 13^th. That was a Friday, right? Um, never mind. It’s been simply ages, Dahling!
8. Your travel money is being spent on the house and garden this year. Don’t they look great? Should have done this years ago. There may be something to be said about a staycation after all. But we’ll always have Paris. …
9. You have bought a Nespresso machine and a wine fridge as part of your self-care plan. And another of each for the outdoor oasis you have created in your garden;
10. Your nostalgia for the 1950s is quickly wearing off as you find yourself living them: COVID casseroles and comfort food (homemade sourdough, anyone?); women (primarily) stuck at home with their kids; drive-in movies; drive-in restaurants; family road trips towing a camper or staying in a lodge. When will the poodle skirts and crinolines make their reappearance? After all, don’t they measure approximately six feet across when worn correctly?
11. You’ve bought better speakers for the car and finally spent the money on a Sirius satellite subscription because you are spending record time in your vehicle now that you (and the kids) don’t take public transit anymore. Not to mention the regular trips to the cottage and the Great 2020 Family Road Trip;
12. You are on your third new phone since March because you accidentally disinfected the previous two with too much hand sanitizer. Even two weeks in rice didn’t help the phones “dry out.” The tech from Samsung called to ask if you had dropped them into a wine barrel because he thought they smelled so delicious. Turns out he likes the green kind too!

The media is referring to “COVID fatigue” – the phenomenon where people are getting complacent and failing to take necessary precautions while socializing more. Truth is, we are all getting a little numb to this COVID situation. In fact, I think numbness should be listed as a COVID symptom for those who have been fortunate enough to not be infected to date. Meanwhile, what school (and, by association, work) will look like this fall seems to be changing on an almost daily basis, with only weeks to go. …

In any event, we humans are resilient creatures. Look at the changes we have already mastered and the adaptability and innovativeness we have demonstrated. For better or worse, we are living though a reset point in our society and are eyewitnesses to a time that will be analyzed and discussed for years to come. It’s not fun, but it IS interesting – I’m telling my kids to pay attention to the world as it changes around them.

Now off to the supermarket – rumour has it they have a new shipment of hand sanitizer. Hope it’s the green kind!