Note from the Associate Editor: A new type of normal

by Carolyn Riel

For many people, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. (As a quick aside, if you haven’t already used the code CDIMEMORIAL20 to take 20% off all of our CDI books, you only have until May 31 before the sale expires.)

Memorial Day was this past Monday, and I hope you all were able to enjoy some time off like the ACDIS team did.

Observing a holiday—or any milestone, such as birthdays, weddings, new babies—is different these days. Most of us have been working from home since March and our in-person social circles have collapsed to only those who live in our own homes. While we’ve seen an outpouring of community virtually both personally and within ACDIS’ membership, we’re all looking forward to seeing our friends and family face-to-face in the (hopefully) not-so-distant future.

Though the pandemic is still dire in some parts of the country and world, I got a glimpse of what our new normal may look like this holiday weekend. Our ACDIS headquarters are based in Massachusetts, but I live about 50 minutes north in New Hampshire. While Massachusetts has had an alarming number of COVID-19 cases; New Hampshire has had significantly fewer. Low numbers of positive COVID-19 cases made my state the perfect guinea pig for reopening New England.

While others are eagerly awaiting haircuts and salon visits, I’ve been most excited for the restaurants reopening—even with the necessary restrictions. They’re only allowed to offer outdoor dining, customers must make reservations, and there are specific limits for how far apart tables must be. While many places had remained open for takeout throughout the pandemic’s worst, it’s not the same as sitting down with friends and enjoying a night out.

I spent my Memorial Day grabbing lunch with friends for the first time in months. We indulged in overpriced plastic-cupped margaritas, a 9x13-inch foil tray of nachos, and stabbed French fries from each other’s Styrofoam plates with sporks. It was just as glamorous as it sounds.

Though we can all agree we’ll be returning to a new version of normalcy, it truly felt like we were getting a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. Birthdays won’t always be spent alone inside with a parade of cars driving by honking. Getting together with friends won’t always mean sharing a glass of wine over a video call. And shopping won’t always be online with a need to wipe everything down with a gallon of bleach.

The world won’t always be afraid. True, there probably is no going back to “normal.” But from what I’ve seen so far, maybe this new normal won’t be so bad.

Editor’s note: Riel is the associate editor of ACDIS. Contact her at criel@acdis.org