Returning to Normal is Not the Goal For Me
Vaccinations Are A Good Thing
My wife and I went to a restaurant this past weekend, continuing our slow return to pre-pandemic activities. We sat outdoors. It was a bit warm but I was more comfortable there, rather than inside. Then I remembered something about going to restaurants: loudmouths at nearby tables.
There was a middle-aged white guy, on the heavy side, his face flush from the heat or maybe the beers, at the table next to ours. He had his wife and two adult kids with him, and a son-in-law. I say “with him” because he was dominating the table. Talking loudly, explaining everything, and checking up on who was still eating, and who needed another drink. It was amusing to witness, at first; then it became tiresome.
We live in the capitol so we encounter a lot of consultants and lobbyists, along with the occasional legislator. The way he had an answer for everything makes me think consultant (full disclosure, I’ve done it, and can conjure an answer to almost any question). It’d be nice, if people don’t wear masks, that maybe we could ask them to turn down the volume.
People Watching
But I shouldn’t complain. I was outside, among humans, and my wife and I are healthy. We were enjoying that sport made popular back in the 1980s of “people watching.” That sport reached its zenith with the launch of Instagram, and then jumped the shark when it became hurtful posting pictures of people in Walmart.
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by a cover, but they’re wrong. Snap judgments are the whole point. The trick is to get good at it so you don’t misjudge people. I’ll leave that exercise of perfecting your ability to judge for you to do on your own time.
I don’t want to simply “return to normal.” I intend to pay more attention to what I do each day, consider why I’m doing it, and make sure I’m not reacting to the urgings of some commercial, or just doing what other people are doing (monkey see, monkey do, and what not).
I do want to be around people — we are social beings, and it’s fun to be at concerts, live theatre, and on busy streets with happy people. I also want to continue protesting social injustice, working toward a healthier community.
I’m also not against being the loud-mouth at the table spouting how the world should be fixed. There’s plenty that needs fixing, and we all have to take a stand based on our values.
Hopefully, those values reflect helping people in need, fairness, and making amends where needed.
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