COVID-19: The New Normal

We are all in this together…

The sign pinned to the fence in my neighborhood states a simple truth. No matter one’s political affiliation or religious beliefs, no matter what one may think in regards to how soon states should re-open or how long we should work from home; we as a people are now in a new normal, together.

There is no escaping it. The world has changed; and I keep finding my way back to a single sentence. It’s one that I usually say as an attempt at dark humor, but it’s also something that I mutter as a way of reminding myself and others, we are living through the nightmare: the apocalypse is surreal.

We know something is wrong, the world is turning on its head, and it feels at times like society is falling down around our ears, yet…life must go on. We must continue the day-to-day.

This photo project is a small attempt to document that surreal on-going nature of the day-to-day in the time of the “new normal.”

Gloves and masks have become the norm. They’re scary, and comforting at the same time. They’ve become so normal that they’re often found mixed in with the plastic bottles and paper cups of store parking lots.

With parks and stores closed, days seem to run together as there is less and less separation between work and fun.

Working from home seems to be both a joy and a curse, depending on the day. Sleeping in has its benefits, but after so long, that place you sought as your refuge, in the living room, or the bedroom becomes your prison. My wife will often move to the living room, both to get a blanket and to throw something on the TV to keep her mind busy while waiting for email replies.