By PAT PICKETT
Guest Columnist
March 9 was the last face-to-face meeting I had with a client. The week prior seemed pretty unremarkable … a number of meetings, lunch with an old friend; my husband and I even had a “date” to HomeGoods. We spent the weekend with two other couples, laughing and lollygagging, only briefly interrupted by some rather urgent proposed “messaging” for clients … the email subject line: “COVID-19 language.”
That was sent shortly after learning that the first cases of coronavirus were documented in Central Indiana.
Ten days later, schools would be closed through May 1, sporting events would be canceled, and a lockdown was in the near future. And people started talking about “the new normal.”
In the nine months since, I’ve become increasingly aware of something I’d like to share. This “new normal” many of us are experiencing – feeling shut in and frustrated, longing to enjoy our old lives, be with family and friends, do the things we used to enjoy doing – has been “the normal” for many people in our communities.
Take for instance, our friend Katie. At 40 years old, Katie has some special needs; she doesn’t drive and relies on an in-home care company to help her live independently including fixing her meals and providing transportation. We have known Katie since she was in high school, and in past years, we would get together for a dinner around our birthdays and holidays. In March, that changed. No spring birthday dinner; instead, we began talking to Katie on a daily basis. Everyday around 5, we get a call. We hear the update on her dog, her take on current events and what she’s had to eat; she talks about her mom, who passed away a few years ago and family members who live far away. She passes the time watching television and playing games on her iPad.
But this “new normal” isn’t super new for Katie. She’s spent a good deal of her life feeling a little left out, at the mercy of other people’s schedules. And she definitely is not alone.
Likewise, there are many elderly people in our communities who can’t jump in their car and drive to the nearest restaurant or visit with their friends. Not going to a movie, not going to a sporting event, not visiting that trendy brew pub … all part of their “normal” life. While we were all “re-discovering” jigsaw puzzles, guess what? Nothing new for “the greatest generation.”
Speaking of, that generation has some things in common with the Class of 2020 who (along with their parents) have bemoaned “the new normal” loudly. Many of that era missed their graduations, didn’t have a senior year, and didn’t go to prom. Why? They enlisted in the military to serve their country. Meanwhile at home, folks sacrificed. People grew victory gardens, women went to work and dealt with rationed goods; people bought war bonds. And I don’t think anyone talked about their personal rights being infringed upon.
The real point of all this? When this pandemic is in the not-so-distant history books, it’s my hope that we all have a bit more empathy and compassion for those for whom life is challenging at best and lonely at worst. If just one person reached out to a homebound individual every day, it would be a much happier world. THAT would be a real new normal that I, for one, would welcome.
Patricia J Pickett is a long-time Hamilton County resident and former reporter, editor and publisher.