Brand New Changes

May 18, 2021

And just like that, we're back to semi-normal.

After 16 months of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control has lifted mask recommendations on vaccinated people in most indoor and many outdoor settings. You still have to wear them on planes, in retirement communities and hospitals, and you still have to comply with individual business' mask mandates.

With 60% of the nation having received at least one vax, it looks like Maskne and Zoom Fatigue will be things of the past (effective two weeks after your second shot).

As we scramble to make sense of it, I'm wondering what the impact of the last 16 months will be on our lives going forward.

As I type this from my kitchen counter, I can tell you that a hybrid of office hours and work-from-home will be here to stay, as will business casual. No, I'm not currently working in my pajamas. Yes, my high heels are still collecting dust.

I can also tell you the way we conduct business is changing. Although events are coming back in play, we won't be throwing them. At least not to the extent we did in the past.

I've re-wired my business and my life to a more manageable cadence with meaningful output, and it feels great.

Yes, we're still promoting some of the city's top businesses. But today, they're nonprofits, instead of hotels and restaurants. My pandemic pivot made me re-think how and with whom I want to do business.

I've co-founded an environmental group called ActionEco, where we aim to host salon-style dinners to educate and advocate for sustainable buying decisions. More on that soon.

I'm contributing to StyleSouth, a website that set out to bring the fashion shows that got sidelined during the pandemic onto our screens. No, I'm not writing about fashion (refer back to the dusty stiletto reference). Yes, I'm writing about food. Style South takes you behind the scenes to meet the incredible style makers throughout the South. Through my channel, Fashion Plates, I plan to write about some of the talented folks in the culinary arts.

What does the pandemic look like for you? Are you gunning to get back to the pre-pandemic pace of life. Or have you settled into a new groove?