The pandemic disrupted our traditions, practices and pursuits
NEW YORK (AP) — Dusting off old musical instruments, appreciating the outdoors more meaningfully, dumping the hair dye and letting the gray fly forever.
The pandemic disrupted our traditions, practices and pursuits, how we mark milestones, what we do with our time, what's important in routines. It replaced old with new, a kind of new that just might stick.
Nearly three years after the World Health Organization declared the deadly spread of COVID-19 a pandemic, there's plenty of old life mixed with the new. And, yes, the latter includes a whole lot of Zooming still going on among families, colleagues and friends, near and far.
Here's a look at pandemic passions that for some are here to stay:
That sax in the corner. The piano that looks so nice in the living room but was rarely played. People picked up their instruments again, some after decades, to flex their musical muscles.
They're not looking for concert careers, but they're dedicated in their rediscoveries.
Bob Dorobis in Middletown, New Jersey, worked intensely to improve his guitar fingerpicking during the pandemic after a long break. Now, the 70-year-old software developer is looking forward to more practice time in retirement.
“When your fingerpicking sounds good it's very rewarding,” he said. “I finally realized the only way for me to like it better is to learn it better.”
Amid all the spinning, folks who hadn't worked out in years are now committed to running, working up to half-marathons and beyond.
We have bicycle enthusiasts who hadn't ridden since childhood. And we have walkers who mapped out where to find the best cats to visit and are steadfast in their feline wandering on foot.
Beth Lehman, a Greenville, New York, nanny, hopped on a bike for the first time in years while teaching one of her young charges during the pandemic. Now, the whole family she works for rides with her, including a grandfather in his mid-80s.
“I faked confidence,” she said of taking to two wheels again.
Craving company, we stood on lawns, sidewalks and cul-de-sacs to check in with each other. We brought homemade soups to senior shut-ins. We turned over armfuls of fresh-cut flowers from our gardens. We lingered for a socially distanced chat.
Lisa and Larry Neula in Sacramento, California, shared the gift of aloha with their neighbors. She was a competitive Hawaiian dancer and hula instructor and he's a member of the famous Lim Family singers of Kohala.
Together, they entertained their neighbors during the pandemic from their driveway and continue their performances there today.
“If you get one person who shows they want to be social, then the other people catch on. It gets to be contagious,” Lisa said. “I don't want to take all the credit, but it makes me a better person.”
Gardening turned into restful curation. It also was a way to get some extra exercise and grow fresh food.
“Now, I rarely watch TV,” said Kelly Flor-Robinson in Bethany Beach, Delaware.
They've chosen to embrace their inner curliness and gray. Today, they can't be bothered going back after nearly three years of natural hair.
“In March 2020, right after everyone was basically in lockdown, I ignored the reminder in my calendar to do the root touch-up, and I ignored the next and the next and so on,” said Susan Cuccinello in Ossining, New York.
“I remember when salons started opening back up and several of my friends were so relieved they could get their hair and roots colored again. That didn’t sway me one bit. And my hair is actually thicker and healthier. Plus it’s great to smash another relic of the patriarchy!”
Others gave up makeup and underwire. They once considered both a necessity but were freed in isolation. They're still happily going without.
In Maplewood, New Jersey, Matthew Peyton and his son, Julian, worked on their golf games together. Julian now works as a fitter in a sports shop and is eyeing college golf programs.
“So there I am. Single dad with a 15-year-old, active teenage boy who won’t be going to school for two years," he said. "We don’t know what's safe. We don’t touch door knobs or go to the store. But the golf course is our refuge. You’re 300 yards away from anyone else all by yourself. It’s like a private oasis.”
We're still logging lots of Zoom time for work, book club, family visits and meetups with old friends. But there are other lasting uses that were born of pandemic necessity.
Non-work Zooms today, with real-life back in swing, have thoroughly committed devotees. So do webinars, from art history to virtually exploring an exotic locale.
Samantha Martin, who splits her time between New York and West Palm Beach, Florida, relied a lot on Zoom and WhatsApp to visit with loved ones back home in Hong Kong and around the world. That morphed into “Sunday stories,” a practice she continues today.
“Every Sunday night I have dinner or breakfast, depending on the time difference, with a friend or family member around the world,” Martin said. “The calendar is full one to two months in advance."
The opposite is true for other families. Some kids picked up new activities because they were available during the pandemic and are thrilled to keep them going.
“I used to enjoy food shopping, but this saves so much time and overspending on my part so I stuck with it,” said Amanda Sheronas Spencer in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
“If I do go in person, I have to stick to my list, which is difficult for a person who loves food and cooking! Grocery stores are like shiny objects to me.”
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