My late Grandmother grew up in the Great Depression. She always told me about how she would keep twisty ties, glass bottles, and save everything, including bacon grease, to prevent being wasteful. Will habits like this become the new normal when the world restarts again?

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing everyone, which is why I am pondering how the world will change as it is going through its rebirth. What will the new “normal” be? Am I the only one who is suffering from a slight delusional paranoia? I don’t know the answers to any of these questions. Hence why I need to talk or write it all out.

We are in a crisis of humanity versus capitalism, trying to prevent mass human annihilation and the most significant global recession. Which one would you rather have? I choose life every time.

I am trying to stay positive and healthy by writing every day, exercising, and taking care of things that I’d never had time for, such as fixing my laptop charger. Yesterday, I wrote about staying positive because the “greater is coming.” Sheesh, it’s so damn hard to keep that keen sense of optimism at times. Then later that night, a phantom started creeping into my head, terrifying me about the future of our human existence.

When my fiance and I are walking our dog around the lake, hordes of people are passing by, further terrifying me that the virus is spreading. This caused me to call the COVID-19 Minnesota hotline (651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903) to ask if it is safe to walk outside with my dog. The verdict: Stay six feet away from people. Yes, that is nearly impossible when Lake of the Isles is a sardine-packed night club.

People are utilizing their resources because if fitness centers aren’t open, then it causes a chain reaction to go for runs around the lake and doing at-home workouts.

Being resourceful is a major skill of mine, and I am taking it to the next level for probably no apparent reason other than the fear we may be living in at the moment. I’m rewashing zip lock bags for reuse when I run out, measuring my laundry detergent, washing bigger dishware by hand using one or two drops of dish soap, and I am finding every way to be resourceful. The extreme hit me when my vegetables were going to expire in a day; therefore, I resorted to pickling them.

To me, pickling vegetables is a sign of fear of oppression. Is anyone acting this way out of a slight fear lurking in the back of their minds?

Take your index finger and move it as close to your thumb as possible without touching. Maybe I’m going a little crazy? But, aren’t we all having our moments of going “cuckoo” right now? I may be overthinking this, but I’m not the only one.

I’m glued to my TV, whether it is binging HULU, doing barre classes, or watching the news. I am even pursuing my faith more seriously by reading a book called “Jesus Calling.” Of those, exercising is the best way to pass the time.

COVID-19 could change my normal social behavior. For instance, when walking on the sidewalk, I’m turning my head to the right when someone passes by. Believe me; I’m not the only one who is doing this. Can you believe that I haven’t been smiling and saying hello to that person? How un-Minnesotan like is that?

Hoarding, home workouts, working from home, cooking for ourselves, and talking to others on the phone or FaceTime are becoming trending human habits. COVID-19 is resetting the world.

Quarantine, social distance, wash your hands and cover your mouth. Be vigilant and get your groceries through delivery apps. Only leave the house if you have to, and stay away from older people. These are the little changes we have to make, but even those can’t cure the darkness of isolation or COVID-19. But, it can get us through it, and it can be just enough to slow things down.

Hopefully, our government will stop making this a political issue and realize we need to make this a health issue and let health officials have full control of their actions.

All we can do is to pray and to make those little changes.

There has got to be some good that will come out of this. I don’t know what the reset button will be like when it activates for our world, but I hope it will be one for the greater.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

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