There wasn’t much thought involved with writing a list of what I’ve missed throughout this virus pandemic and would like to do, once it’s over.  Actually, it’s all very basic.  Even simple.  Call it my Wish List. 

Hugs.  Yes, up close and very personal expressions of caring, of love and good old gratitude.  With family members living close by, we stand at a polite, safe, distance from one another.  The same with friends.   It’s all just so…clinical.  Efficient and unemotional; coldly detached.  A hug at this point in time could be a needed expression of support yet, it can also be dangerous, possibly a lethal human-to-human touch.  In fact, there’s an interesting book written on this subject...”THE PROS AND CONS OF THE HUMAN HUG” by S. Elia.  You can Amazon it!  Sadly, practices surrounding future hugging will remain just thoughts for the unforeseeable future.

Gatherings.  This is a tough one.  Meetings, social events, family get-togethers, religious worship.  I’m guessing this all can be orchestrated as long as everyone comes with their own tape measure and maintains an acceptable space from one another.  At this point, after enduring the required “stay at home” procedures, I’m ready to go, ruler in hand.

Traveling.  Boy, I’d really, really like to fly the friendly skies at the first opportunity.  More than that, I’d like that window to open for my, too far away, family to come and visit.  Even with that, there are just so many variables involved and it’s anyone’s guess as to if, and when, airline travel will resume normal functions. 

Shopping.  Not just the random runs to the supermarket…real shopping!  To the local nursery for plants, to a shop for clothing I don’t need but want, to a local thrift shop to find a precious collectible, stopping at a farmer’s market.  Silly stuff.   Okay, none of these are what might be deemed necessary but all were part of my now bygone normal.  The freedom to take a ride in the car and stop here and there on a whim.  I miss that and can’t wait to do it all again.

Work.  I cannot wait to return to work.  It won’t be easy, given the beauty industry I work in and all that will be required in maintaining safe practices for everyone.  Trust me, I KNOW how clients have been inconvenienced with not being able to have hair services.  The impact that COVID-19 has had on non-essential businesses has been fairly devastating for many hair salons.  The strong will indeed survive and the loyalty of clients will be instrumental to that process.  I’ll be ready to style, trim and color-correct, hiding behind my mask and trying hard not to gasp at the results of too much kitchen-hairdressing.

So, there you have it.  My 5.  Nothing too earth-shattering, probably not even remotely exciting, even boring.  Representative of my own particular normal.  Wikipedia sums me up best… behavior that can be normal for an individual when it is consistent with the most common behavior for that person. Normal is also used to describe individual behavior that conforms to the most common behavior in society.   Blah, blah and more blah…in all this time, I’ve always thought I was a staunch non-conformist.  What the hell does stupid Wikipedia know anyway?

From Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop…Write a list of 5 things you’d like to do when we’re done social distancing.