Hmmm, will you reclaim your freedoms in the new normal?
I had an experience this past week that caught me by surprise and gave me cause to reflect. It was a very simple experience that in the bigger picture hardly seems worth mentioning. But upon reflection, its place within the bigger picture is what makes it noteworthy.
The doorbell rang early one evening. I answered the door and much to my surprise it was a courier delivering some books I had ordered. A courier delivery is, of course, commonplace in the order online, direct-to-consumer commercial business model that we have settled into as a result of the pandemic and the restrictions imposed because of it.
But when was the last time a courier delivered a package to you and actually took the time to hand it to you directly? Most if not all of us would say at least two years ago.
The norm is now for the delivery person to run up the driveway, toss the package on the porch, snap a photo on a smartphone to confirm delivery and sprint back to the van. You have to hope your neighbours are honest and no thief is following the delivery van.
The fact this man chose to revert to the old delivery model is a credit to him. He is very much a rebel in his actions which I salute and commend. He has clearly made a conscious decision to go against the flow. It tells me he takes pride in his work and in executing it well, notwithstanding the fact that his supervisor would probably argue that it impacts his productivity.
Each of us can and should take a page for this man’s playbook. I have made the assertion in the past year or two, making myself unpopular in some circles, that we should make personal decisions about what we choose to accept or decline in the so-called new normal.
The prevailing wisdom is that the new normal is a fait accompli and that we must simply suck it up and fall in line. I have never responded well to that kind of peer pressure. I choose to go my own way and live by my own principles. Yes, I am a rebel at heart and proud of it.
I will concede that the pandemic brought a paradigm shift in many respects for some of which there is no turning back. I am astute enough not to bang my head against an immovable wall although I will occasionally curse it. But I will bang my fist against a door that has been closed which I believe should remain open – literally and metaphorically speaking.
I did say thank you to the courier who delivered my books. But in retrospect, I wish I had been more effusive. Something along the lines of…Hey, thanks man! I appreciate you taking the time to ring the doorbell and hand me my package. Good on you for bucking the trend. Here’s a five dollar tip to reward you for being so nice. You’re my new everyday hero!
As we turn the corner next week on the pandemic restrictions and gain back our freedoms, I encourage you take advantage of them. If you feel you want to still wear a face mask, go ahead. You have my blessing. But if you feel like ditching it in the trash as I plan to, by all means do so.
And to anyone who gives me a dirty look for not wearing a face mask when I am no longer required to, I simply say: Deal with it. I choose not to embrace that aspect of the new normal.
~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet
~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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Tags: courier · face mask · hero · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · new normalNo Comments