This year has been such a roller coaster ride and there’s been a lot of disconnect, separation and isolation. Now, more than ever, it’s so important to stay connected, build relationships and reach out to your friends, family and clients.
It always gives me such a boost to connect with friends and other small business owners and hear what they’re up to and how they are feeling and coping with their wins while working through their challenges. We really can learn from each other and more about ourselves that we can’t always see.
What is your new normal? What are you doing to feed your soul in this very different time?
Let me rephrase that: Is this for real? I feel like we are living in a “Twilight Zone” episode, yet this is our life. How has your life changed other than the new basics? Now, instead of only grabbing your keys, we have to make sure we have a mask and sanitizer. With social-distancing rules, eating at restaurants is now out in their parking lots. Zooming has become the norm for not only our business meetings, but for family functions and just to say hello. Hugging is nonexistent and seeing a doctor face to face has gone to only tele-medicine calls.
Meeting with masks on, and no touching, hugging or handshaking is the new normal. Washing our hands and continuously washing our hands. I was at the grocery store and was done with my cart, so, just being polite, I offered my cart to someone walking by; well, you would have thought I had the plague. Shopping mostly online has a whole new meaning. Not going to concerts and shows, although the newest thing is drive-up entertainment—I love this! For about $40 per car, you can listen to concerts or watch a movie, but you have to stay in your own space. It reminds me of the old drive-in movies. Everywhere you go, others are taking your temperature. People are being asked to stay home and work from home. If you’re in business, Zoom is the new way of communication.
I’m still doing my radio show from home, just as you see many TV shows remoting in from their homes. My salon has been shut down for the second time. Our children’s life has drastically changed, with no school, and many families are being robbed of the excitement of the first day of what would normally have been our back to school season. Instead, parents are shuffling around trying to figure out if they are now homeschooling or working with other families to co-op with this school year. Living rooms are transformed into classrooms, as kids are adjusting to living and learning at home.
We also see a shortage of coins—where does that come in? Underneath all those masks are still smiling faces that are a bit unsure of what we’re all supposed to be doing. We’ve learned to read each other’s eyes. With all these changes, please take care of yourself and your loved ones, and know this too shall pass and we will get through this together.