New ‘Normal’
Monday, April 13, was the first workday in over a month that felt even remotely normal for me. I had two meetings, which were both held by video conference. And the predominant topic of discussion was the ongoing response to the coronavirus. But still, somehow, the presence of agendas, presentations, back-and-forth discussions, and action items made it feel like a more or less normal day of work. Maybe this is the new normal for me? Who knows.
After work I went for a hilly bike ride. Since I was riding to a popular pedestrian trail, I wore my new full-face helmet. I feel it either absorbs or deflects (upward) most of my breath, and is the next best thing to wearing an actual mask while riding (which would be impossible for me as it would fog up my glasses instantly, rendering me blind). I’ve even outfitted it with a custom “mask liner” made from an old baseball cap, that I can remove from the helmet’s mask and wash.
It was a good ride, and the full-face helmet was surprisingly comfortable. It got a little warm for me on the long climb coming back home (I felt sweat rolling down the sides of my head), but was otherwise just fine. Hopefully by the time the summer temperatures hit this area, the guidance to wear masks in public will be withdrawn. Otherwise, I will need to find another mask solution (such as an actual, honest-to-goodness mask, which is currently impossible to find on the open market).
On a side note, as I was riding the pedestrian trail I couldn’t help but notice a couple of young people (guessing early 20’s) “making out” publicly just off the trail. I gathered these were kids who did not live together, but had been bf/gf from before the pandemic. Maybe none of this is true, but their relatively motionless and quiet embrace, with expressions of forlorn-ness rather than lust, made me think this. They probably had been apart and missing each other for a month, and not having their own places, couldn’t just go visit each other at home. Their behavior was obviously the opposite of social distancing, and is just the sort of thing that defeats the curve flattening we have all been working toward…but when I ask myself if I would do any differently if placed in their shoes, I don’t have an answer. I just feel blessed that I’m able to spend quarantine with my partner and best friend.
Bike Newbie 