Member-only story
Face to Face Conversations and How Long Everything Takes
How we live now
I was talking to three YMCA front desk people about what makes life harder these days. I asked, “What obstacles do you face now that you didn't experience before the pandemic?”
Woman 1: Masks. People come in, who are not wearing them, which makes mask wearers really angry. The maskers glare at the non-maskers, but the rule is you don’t have to wear them anymore. There’s so much judgment on both sides and no acceptance. It’s getting really intense. Everybody needs to give each other a break but nobody does.
Woman 2: It’s hard to see my sister. She was anxious before the pandemic but she’s really anxious now. I dont’ know when we’ll ever go out again. I’m hoping one day she just feels normal and she’ll leave her house and be less afraid. We used to go out all the time. I miss that. Her.
Man 1: Leaving the house takes so long. I have to think about where I’m going, what the rules are in that place. I have to plan. It’s like when I raised my kids and it was freezing out. Nothing was quick and easy. Snowboots, snowsuits, mittens, hats, scarves. That’s what it feels like now to get out of the house but without any of the excitement, just the hassle.
I like talking to the people at the desk. I do it every day now after my swim. At first, it was a drag because the reason I went to the desk was to complain about how I wasn’t showing up in their system. Now, it’s become a daily visit. We recognize each other. They try, unsuccessfully, to solve my problem. I ask them random questions and they thoughtfully answer. I missed people during the pandemic. The exchange is more restorative than my swim.
