In mid-July, I went grocery shopping for the first time in nearly four months. Considering my underlying health conditions, my dad had been shopping for groceries while I stayed in the vehicle. This method worked out well, since it meant that one of us was free of contaminants when it came time to bring groceries into the house. No, we still have not let our guard down. We are still wearing masks in public, and we are sanitizing our groceries when we bring them home. I just felt it was time that I saw for myself what the inside of the store was like after enduring four months of a pandemic. What I witnessed on that warm summer day in July was a stark reminder of how the world has essentially changed overnight.    

COVID-19 signs plastered the doors, aisle markers directed one-way traffic through the store, and special markers instructed shoppers where to stand in line to encourage social distancing. What a drastic difference to our last trip inside the grocery store together. Being that my dad and I love to cook and bake, it only makes sense that we also enjoy grocery shopping. Yet, instead of a leisurely stroll through each aisle, we quickly grabbed the items on our list and vacated the premises. There was no fun found in looking at barren shelves, all while simultaneously trying to navigate between the shoppers with masks and those without. Even now, grocery shopping is not what it used to be.      

A New Normal     

 Not too long ago, someone commented to me concerning their disdain for the oft-repeated phrase, “a new normal,” when it comes to the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the entire world. Unfortunately, I believe we are now experiencing a “new normal,” for it seems the “old normal” becomes more of a distant memory every single day. How fragile this world is for everything to be “normal” one day, only to rapidly change in a way we would have never expected. One single cell emerged to inflict a global pandemic upon the earth, adversely affecting the lives of millions of people.        

The COVID Crisis 

On the evening of March 13, 2020, the announcement was made that all schools in my home state of Florida would be closed. Other closures came about quickly, leading to a complete lockdown in many parts of the world. One moment, we were living our everyday lives. The next moment, we were striving to preserve our lives. Nearly thirty-five million people have contracted COVID-19 around the globe. Sadly, over one million people have lost their lives to this highly infectious disease. To make matters worse, the numbers are increasing daily at greater-than-anticipated rates in some regions.

Now, as the new school has gotten underway for a large number of students, there is much debate about whether children are safe in brick and mortar classrooms, with many individuals opting for virtual and hybrid learning models. There is equally great controversy over whether people should wear masks or not. Others disagree on whether the reopening of various types of businesses should move forward with zeal or slow down with caution. While everyone seems to have an opinion concerning the many unknown variables surrounding this plague, we are also battling the ill effects of civil unrest, abortions, sexual immorality, and a myriad of other negative influences on society. It seems human decency has been thrown out with yesterday’s newspaper. Even with the state of the world’s affairs, there is hope amid what seems like a hopeless situation.