Life in the time of COVID-19 certainly has me recalibrating many of the measurements by which I mark my life and the impact events and activities make upon it. For example, a quick jaunt to the store for a few items, once a ho-hum chore requiring a minimum of thought and no preparation, now requires a deliberate plan, preparation and consideration. Because I’m trying to limit my exposure to the outside world and the potential hazards lurking behind every stranger’s cough, there really is no such thing as a quick run to the store every few days. No, lists are made, menus for a week or more are considered, ads are consulted, a route (between stores and within the stores) is developed . . . all before I even get behind the wheel.

Once back from my excursion, I now have to wipe down or disinfect every item before it comes in the house. Shoes are sprayed with Lysol and left outside; the exterior layer of clothes is exchanged; keys, phone, credit cards, billfold are wiped down. Even a trip to the mailbox, which once involved grabbing the mail, dumping it on the kitchen table and slicing open each envelope without heed, now requires a much more circuitous route before the mail makes it inside.

Yes, all those everyday chores undertaken without much thought must now be examined like minefields, each assessed for how it might serve as a vector for a hidden enemy, and then a deliberate plan must be drawn to deny that access to my home and loved ones. It can be exhausting, and it certainly makes one long for the days when we blithely charged through our days with little thought for where we went, what we touched or how closely we stood next to others.

On the other hand, being forced to slow down and act with more deliberation helps me to see things I breezed right past before and makes me appreciate more of the simple joys and pleasures a busy life can blind one from seeing. Are the birds singing more loudly and cheerfully this spring? Isn’t it nice to spend a few minutes chatting with the neighbors each day? Seems like we didn’t take the time to do that as often before. An occasional take-out dinner becomes a real treat rather than a last-minute choice after a long, tiring day.

Even as we pass the date of another trip, now cancelled, or learn of another friend’s wedding or celebration postponed and wonder when life and travel will return to normal, we also look forward to a brief car ride on a sunny afternoon or a long walk on a local bike trail. And this weekend, as my husband and I venture north to visit our baby granddaughter for the first time in two months, we are thankful more than ever before for our health and the freedom we have to take this little road trip. It’s no international excursion, but to be able to visit with family once more is a priceless blessing we will never take for granted again.

Here’s hoping we can all remember to count our blessings, great and small, now and in the future.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor