What IS " Normal"?

                  View last evening from our spot at the outdoor-seating restaurant.  Photo by The Pensacola Hippie. 

Brian and I, along with my parents, my brother, and his family did something weird yesterday. We went to a restaurant and ate in-house  { actually , it was outdoor seating only}

    Vaccinated life is glorious. 

    Many people are still worried about catching on of COVID's mutations, and I totally understand the need for concern. However, after over a year of self-denial and isolation, I think we can trust Dr Fauci when he tells us that it is okay for vaccinated people to get together in small groups. masks were required in the restaurant, so we wore them when we ordered and paid for our food. Medicine is an art-- and art evolves. 

    I am okay with whatever " new normal" post-pandemic life throws at me.  Vaccination brings back so much of what makes us " fully human" & if I must wear a mask in public for awhile longer  I can deal with that--- as long as I can see other vaccinated loved ones' unmasked faces & hug people who have been inoculated. I cannot-- and shall not--- live the second half of my life in total isolation. 

   What IS " normal" anyway? That is the question for all of us as we move closer to the herd immunity goal. 

  We are changed -- both collectively and individually. We survived the worst of this pandemic, but none of us are who were were thirteen months ago. 

To be honest, it was strange to sit at an eating establishment -- after months of the rare take-out venture with Brian. As we move forward, I think many of us will feel like we do not know how to act in " public". 

   For instance, I do not know when I will feel safe to fly in an airplane again. Bria and I have to trips planned for this Spring & Summer, and we will add miles to our truck in order to avoid being cooped up in a airport with too many people whom we do not know.  

  I am naturally an introvert-- and when I've missed being with MY PEOPLE during this pandemic, the introverted soul I am is okay with staying away from  crowds of strangers. As much as staying 6 feet away from my loved ones was horrible during the early days of the Pandemic-- keeping a heathy distance from people I do not know { the general public} is okay with me. 

  It is possible that I'll not feel safe again in a theatre, and this saddens me. Breathing the same air in a closed space as strangers bothers me. The same applies to going to my hairdresser-- I trust him totally, but am wary of the other clients/ stylists' vaccination status. 

  It sucks to feel so wary of strangers, but people's behavior during the worst of COVID-tide has shown me that many people do not care about the health of others. I've seen a lot of humanity's worst side during this pandemic and it scares me that some people refuse to get two simple shots in the arm for the protection of everyone. 

  What is " Normal"? 

   I am clueless.