Sharon Kennedy: It’s beginning to feel a lot like normal

The other day I stopped at BayMart in Brimley and filled my gas tank. When I walked into the store to pay, I was met with the overwhelmingly delicious fragrance of pizza! It’s been two years since the gas station sold warm pizza or other items where customers were free to open a display case and pick what they wanted whether it was a muffin fresh from the local bakery or a piece of pizza. The coffee machines were turned on, and we could help ourselves. Life as I had known it prior to COVID-19 seemed as close to normal as it could get.

Then I ventured to the Bay Mills Casino and was in for another surprise. Gamblers are now allowed to pour their own coffee or fill a plastic cup with a cold drink of Ginger Ale or some other non-alcoholic beverage available from the fountain. Even the slot machines were in a good mood and shared some of their bounty with me. I’m no gambler, but I was as happy as the folks around me to experience a slice of normality. Masks were not mandated, but if people chose to wear one, nobody complained or gave them a sour look.

Buying gasoline or spending a few minutes at the local casinos used to be as normal as breathing. Unfortunately, since the spring of 2020, even breathing was a challenge for those who suffered from the virus that claimed many lives. Like other towns, Brimley and Sault Ste. Marie were not spared. We lost members of our communities to the dreaded pandemic that seemed to have no end.

For a few minutes last week, when I reached for a small box containing two slices of pizza, I felt things were going to be OK. However, even though the outward signs of hope are all around us, life will never again be “normal” for those who lost loved ones. The best we can do is offer words of encouragement and hugs now that most folks accept a hug from a friend without worrying about becoming infected by a lethal virus.

Before things went haywire, we took everything for granted. Most of us never dreamed that entering a crowded shopping mall, movie theater or concert venue would be a potential danger to our health. If someone near us sneezed or coughed, we paid them no attention. Our shoulders might have touched strangers when we stood in line to make a purchase. There was no concern over “catching” something from them. We didn’t wear gloves when we opened doors or pushed a grocery cart. We flew or sailed thousands of miles without giving a second thought to inhaling the same air as fellow passengers.

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I wonder how long it will take us to feel at ease traveling in a fully loaded plane, bus or cruising the Mediterranean with 5,000 other vacationers. I’d like to visit some European cities and make one last trip to Ireland, but I’m still hesitant. The romance of travel has fizzled. I never had much interest in going farther than 20 miles from home, but with dotage pounding at my door, I was willing to make the effort prior to March 2020. Now I suppose I’ll settle for watching YouTube videos and visiting distant places with strange-sounding names from the comfort of my recliner. The prospect lacks adventure and exploration, but I guess it’ll have to do.

— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at authorsharonkennedy.com. Kennedy's latest book, “The SideRoad Kids: Tales from Chippewa County,” is available from her, Amazon, or Audible.