I have several new things to write about today. Most importantly, it is my sister Diane’s birthday and she has never been 72 before!

After calling to wish her a happy birthday, Diane shared that part of her celebration would be to dine out at a restaurant for the first time in several months.

We talked about how the upcoming restaurant excursion stirs up some interesting questions:

Is it better to sit outside to avoid indoor recirculating air?

Is it okay to go out to dinner with another couple and sit together at a small 4-person table if both couples have been self-isolating?

Should the silverware and glassware be cleaned off with a disinfectant wipe before eating?

How is it possible to wear a mask and eat?

Is it logical for a server to wear a mask and gloves but, bring meals and clear dishes for multiple tables without ever changing the gloves? (This is happening…)

A lot to think about!

Which brings me to my next new thing. I finally allowed myself to go inside several stores this past week after such a long time staying at home.

My first stop was to Bagel Guys as I had invited my daughter and her family over for brunch on Sunday.

As I got out of my car wearing my mask, a man exited his car with no mask. He tried to hold the door open for me which was nice, but, I did not want to get too close to him. I thanked him for trying and used my foot to push the door open myself.

There was a line on the floor which I dutifully stood behind while the man was served. I then stepped up to the counter where a plastic partition had been attached.

I got my bag of bagels, and then had to sign the receipt with a pen the clerk gave me. Fortunately, I had my sanitizer in my purse and immediately cleaned my hands and my credit card.

The next stop was Publix for cream cheese and a few other groceries. I noticed that there was no hand sanitizer for public use and not all staff was wearing masks. There were directional lines on the floor though for safe shopping and the checkout lanes included similar plastic protective partitions as the bagel shop.

My last stop was Walmart where I was trying to find the whole wheat flour that Publix had run out of. I was greeted by a man who was ensuring social distancing inside the store by counting how many people were entering.

Purell was front and center for everyone but, there were no floor arrows, not everyone wore masks and no plastic shields were evident at the checkout stations.

While I was navigating the baking aisle, I was more than irritated when a shopper without a mask passed me and coughed loudly in my direction. I reacted instinctively and glared at her and she immediately put her elbow in front of her face! Too late! Sigh!

With COVID-19 cases rising in some counties (including in my sister’s county), it is hard to know what decisions to make that responsibly take into account both health and the economy. What seems obvious and right to me is wrong to someone else. And at some point, people do need to get back to work to feed their families.

I suppose all we can do is understand our own risk tolerance and make our personal choices from there.

This new normal is definitely not normal. In fact, let’s call it what it is: abnormal!