We’ve let some things slide under quarantine. We all have. And we’re all figuring out how to cope with the situation as we go. It’s obvious enough that we miss a lot from “the before times.” It’s also obvious enough that we’ve introduced a number of things during this pandemic that most of us would rather do without. Even so, and even as society at large starts to “re-open,” it’s worth considering what we want to keep from during this time.

After the pandemic is over, what aspects of our current circumstances should stick around? What do we want to bring with us into the new future we’re creating?

Grocery Store Sanitizer and Wipes

They’re left out in the parking lot under the rain. We find nasty remnants of produce and unknown sticky things coating their surfaces. We’ve known all along that shopping carts and baskets can be kind of gross. It has taken this novel coronavirus for grocery stores to bolster their cleaning protocols. And I’m all for keeping this after the pandemic is over.

Most supermarkets (and other similar stores) have installed hand sanitizer pumps or stations at their entrances. Many leave disinfecting wipes next to the shopping cart corrals too, so customers can wipe them down before using them. In some cases, there’s a dedicated staff member wiping down every shopping cart or basket after each use. Can we keep this?

Improved E-Commerce Options

It is certainly unfortunate that many brick-and-mortar stores have had to close, either temporarily or, in some cases, permanently. At the same time, we’ve seen a number of these businesses pivot and adapt in the interim to these new circumstances. More specifically, I’ve seen a number of stores improve their approach to e-commerce, largely out of necessity.

For example, we’ve been able to order pizza delivery online for some time already. However, as far as I could notice, Domino’s only recently introduced the ability for me to prepay for my pizza with a credit card online. It used to be that I had to pay the delivery person. Online payment is just so much more convenient.

Contactless Delivery and Curbside Pickup

This ties in directly with the previous point. Businesses have had to pivot and adapt, and this has given rise to more contactless delivery and curbside pickup options. A local example is Chez Christophe, here in Burnaby Heights. They had a more limited online store before, mostly for packaged goods. Since the pandemic, they’ve added free local delivery. You can also order online or over the phone for curbside pickup, so you don’t even need to enter the store.

Social Support Conversations

I don’t know how much actual change is going to come out of this. Politicians may use this as a talking point and then forget about it in a few months. However, I do hope that the economic hardships brought on by this pandemic will help to continue the conversation about social support networks.

Granted, as a freelancer, I never had the privilege of enjoying paid sick days, vacation pay, or stat holiday pay. In some ways, this has helped us in terms of how we’ve been handling own personal finances during this pandemic. But, we have seen what can happen when people go to work sick, for instance, because they don’t get sick pay or they’re afraid of losing their jobs if they call in sick. You can’t safely and securely “shelter in place” if you’re worried about losing your shelter altogether.

This pandemic has brought several issues to light across multiple industries. The hope is that we can now address those issues not only during these extreme circumstances, but from here on forward into the future.

Mindful Re-Evaluation of Priorities

For better or for worse (let’s hope it’s for the better), this time under self-isolation and quarantine has given all of us a lot of time to think. To reflect. To evaluate what’s really important in our lives and what doesn’t matter as much. When you strip away all the excess, what do you really value in your life? What do you want to nurture and what do you want to discard?

For people who have had more more free time (not me, for the record), being “stuck” at home has opened up the opportunity to try or learn something new. Maybe you’ve been able to explore hobbies you actually enjoy for their own sake. In many ways, we’ve been able to hit the “reset” button. We don’t have to do something just because that’s how it’s always been done.

More Work-From-Home Opportunities

Here’s a great example of the previous point. Many businesses used to require employees to commute to a physical office. During lockdown, many employees have had the opportunity to try working from home for the first time. Working from home has its own set of challenges, to be sure, but at least it means that remote working is much more on the table than it had been previously.

Take Twitter. They’re letting some employees work from home indefinitely and they’re cancelling in-person events for the rest of 2020. Square says employees can work from home permanently too. Shopify is doing the same. Working from home is going mainstream and I’m here for it. I have been for years.

Gratitude for Essential Workers

The 7 p.m. salute for healthcare workers in particular and essential workers in general reminds us to be grateful. This pandemic has reminded us that we need to be appreciative of the people who keep society running as safely and as smoothly as is reasonably attainable during this pandemic. We’ve all experienced this pandemic differently, to be sure, but we are all in this together.

So, let’s be kind. Let’s appreciate the people in our lives more, and thankful for the sung and unsung heroes we may never meet. Say thank you and mean it.

After the Pandemic Is a New Normal?

And no, I’m not talking about the “new normal” in the context of hedonic adaptation. Something that I’ve brought up on my Instagram and is worth mentioning again here is that after the pandemic, we shouldn’t really be talking about returning to the way things were. It’s not about going back to “normal.” That’s not the way to go.

As I mention above, there are some aspects of our “old normal” that we don’t want in our “new normal.” Now is the time for us to re-consider our priorities, re-evaluate what was the status quo, and define for ourselves what we want our “new normal” to be. It’ll be a constant work in progress, to be sure, and we’ll make mistakes. But, we should view this as an opportunity to build the future we want.

What aspects of the current situation do you want to keep after the pandemic is over? What do you want in your new normal?