The title to this post is taken from a line in the Rush song, Tom Sawyer (1981, Moving Pictures). “He knows changes aren’t permanent, But change is…” I’m hopeful that, by the time this post is published, we are all adjusting to a new normal. As I write it, we do not know what that will be. But, my curiosity is asking “what will stick”? What changes that we have made will continue or be implemented on an ongoing basis in the U.S. or the world? I hope it will not include wearing masks all the time in public as is the case in Japan or other Asian countries. But, what will stick? How about shopping carts cleaned on a regular basis, for example? Better sterilization and cleanliness in medical offices or hair salons? More people working remotely on a regular basis? How about working from home whenever one is sick instead of going to the office with a “little cold”? More use of FaceTime, or similar tools, to keep in touch with family and friends? I can think of many things that have been changed quickly. Some of these will ease as we re-open the world. However, it seems to me that some of these are worth keeping. They were probably good ideas waiting to happen. Any predictions?
This is the last in the long list of posts David and I have written about the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Hooray! I, like everyone else, will be ecstatic to be able to move on with my life as soon as possible. Along these lines, I believe it will be important for all of us to keep on trucking, move onward and upward, and maintain a forward focus instead of spending too much time lamenting about what we have lost during this strange time in our collective lives. I am hoping one of the permanent changes that will be made is a relatively easy one: cleaning the floor of every movie theater so that my shoes don’t stick when I walk. I also hope my friends and I will continue to stay in closer touch, employing tools such as FaceTime and Zoom, instead of reverting to our old fashioned phone calls. I have really enjoyed seeing everyone’s smiling faces! Another hope I have for our future is that people will be so happy they survived that they will take the time to be kind to one another. Realizing this may be too much to ask, I hope people will, at least, not be as mean as they were before we were faced with this pandemic. On a personal note, I sure hope I can listen to some live rock and roll music soon, real soon, in my local clubs or in arenas and stadiums. I hope that the new normal, whatever that means, will result in positive changes while, at the same time, allowing people to enjoy whatever they like to do, with the people they enjoy being around. As for predictions, I predict some things will change for the better, but some things will result in changes that none of us will like. Time will tell.
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