I don’t know what normal is anymore; I have lost my bearings when it comes to what is normal and what isn’t. Everything has become a blur and it’s all happening in a blink of an eye. I am sure many people didn’t imagine things would play out like this 12 months ago – maybe a little but not like this reality.
It’s not uncommon to find yourself worried about the future or thinking about the past days that we took for granted; all of a sudden, all that we thought was bad and destructive isn’t as bad now is it.
It almost seems normal now – far from what we are experiencing today. Some things will give you a much different view of the world.
But that is just that, despite all that is happening, with restrictions and regulations that are changing, what we know as everyday normal life, everything else is quite normal. The sun still rises in the east and sets in the west; it still shines when it’s not hiding behind clouds; your parents are still your parents – and, hopefully, your friends are still your friends. You still talk, laugh and cry, just like you normally have.
There is still a level of normalcy left in the world.
This is not to say that life hasn’t changed; that normal is still the good old normal – there have been some rather drastic changes like putting on a mask every time you leave your nest, you can find yourself in some hot water if you are found without one. Then there is school and work, nothing is normal there anymore, whether it’s the teachers that teach or the students that learn, everyone had to make adjustments and learn as the circumstances changed. It wasn’t normal, but I have a strong feeling it will be as time goes on.
As for work, some have lost their jobs, some have had their paychecks cut and others are finding it even harder to land any type of work, not quite normal. I have seen people lose work and contracts because they have no idea how to use Zoom or Skype or whatever new technology companies and organisations are using to move forward nowadays, it’s a sad reality, but a reality nonetheless. I don’t know what normal is any more.
Normal had its uses; it made life much easier for everyone and provided certainty for the uneasy. Now we have a new normal one that isn’t as consistent as we are accustomed to, a new normal that we all have to accept.
•Olavi Popyeinawa
Twitter: @olavipopyeinawa
Email: olavi@euonymuspost.com