Many of us are speculating that the ways of life will drastically change the longer we continue to go with the prevailing pandemic situation. When we talk of change, we have to eye ourselves on what to expect and what will happen in the coming days. The thought of being there may be futuristic, but it also enables us to have a realistic view of what we are about to grasp in days ahead. To many it is about the new normal.
To begin with, we are getting acquainted with the introduction of new ways in doing things. Not only the new ways but we also need to have and acquire new things as new necessities to life.
Aside from wearing footwears and proper clothes when going out of our homes, we have to contend wearing facemasks on regular basis as part of the protocol. When the weather is under the sun or rain, umbrellas can come as a handy companion which is the same with the bringing of face shields nowadays. Emphatically, the seeing of the hearty smiles will now be hindered unlike the glow they used to emit before. For the time being the close-up smiles will be concealed behind the decorated and colorful facemasks.
The new normal is shaping up. We should expect that many things will soon change and they are now in progress. When public gatherings are made suspect to the spread of virus, the work from home scheme is adapted to make workers safe. The same goes in providing education to learners, home studies are made up on online delivery of service. When it comes to business and trade, the trend is to bank more and more on virtual transactions using e-commerce.
The new normal is also setting up for us a culture of lots of “no to’s” in public like the shaking of hands, walking hand in hand, cheek to cheek, and warm embraces. It may surprise us to know that the more we talk about the new normal in ways and styles, we should not forget one important matter in the usual normal we have known in the past. It is an important aspect of normalcy which in the time past was set aside by many, it is the readiness and preparedness to deal with adversity come what may.
Suffice it to say, it is not too late to bring in an important part of the normal life we have before. Even if the standards of the so-called new normal continue to add up, let them not be a hindrance for us to move and think freely as it should. Let us strive to deal with the priorities of normalcy. With being ready and prepared at all times there is always a better chance of living the usual normal and the new normal with appreciation to life in the face of constant change.
By: CARMELLET R. LALAS | TEACHER III | Bataan National High School | Balanga City, Bataan
