Did the Pandemic Shut-Down Change the Way We Live?

Way back in August, 2020, in the deepest depths of the pandemic lock-down, I ventured some predictions about what life might be like in the After Time.

Some of my predictions were spot on. For example:

The sharp lines between home life and work life that were drawn in the Before Times would be blurred in the After Time.
Clothes would be looser and comfier.
People’s dogs, children and houseplants would continue to show up at work.

At least one of my predictions did not hold up, however:

Given that barber shops and hair salons were closed for the duration, and people’s hair was getting long and wild, I was sure that the trend would continue and hair would be fluffier and looser in the After Times. I thought people like Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Amy Klobuchar would follow Rep. Katie Porter’s example and let their hair go fluffy. They didn’t.
Same goes for me. As soon as my hairdresser opened up shop, I donned a mask and got my wild locks tamed.

Stephen Colbert Before and After

The Late Show host Stephen Colbert let his hair go fluffy while broadcasting his show from home. Now he wears his hair trimmed again, but he has not gone back to his Before Times habit of shaking hands with everybody in the first row of his audience. They clap. Colbert smiles. That’s it.

And so, travel with me back in time to the bad old days of 2020, when opening the door for the grocery delivery person involved putting on a mask and leaving his tip on the porch under a rock.

To refresh your memory of those days, here’s a link to one of the Sheltering at Home stories I posted back then.