Looking Toward the New Normal with Hope ...

I am an Optimist. Always have been even when I want to curl up into a ball and disappear off the planet. I can't boo hoo it away; I can't drink it away; I can't even sleep it away -- optimism is always inside of me. It drives me ever day to move forward in hope of better.

So it is with, what I call, The Event (not original I know but I like it none the less).

I want to think that out of this will come the choice of how close we have to be to any one (or million) of people. In my mind: 

I can see airlines having to actually allow us all to sit at least 3' from each other in comfort. 

I see restaurants seating apart enough that we can actually slide our chairs in and out without hitting the person sitting behind us.

I want to believe that the 'working class' (I'll refrain from saying Poor Class in the future) will actually stand up and demand a living wage not a working poor wage. And what is that wage you ask? Well, if not living at home as a child just starting out for work (of which I think the current minimums are fine), it really has to be 4 x the cost of rent as a minimum. And we all know that in addition to rent is a boat load of taxes; food; clothing; and God Forbid entertainment of some sort. So, I'll let all of you do your own math as to what that number would be but it's certainly not $12 hr.

I want to believe that we, as a society glutted by the lower working classes, will put a stop to executive salaries as they currently are. I think a lot about Jeff Bezos who has done a really good thing with Amazon. But, his self worth is $124.7 MILLION. And yet, his workers are making I would suspect $12 hr. In my head he should pay a living wage to all and I'm pretty sure he'd still have a couple MILLION to live off of. The cost of the working class at the expense of the top 10% is just criminal in this day and age.

I also want to believe that a lot of us will enjoy the slower pace of life and will continue to be able to work from home; keep and enjoy the shelter animals that they've adopted or fostered; have a proper dinner with family and catch up about the day. Time; I hope that we all have more time that is well spent - not sitting in 3 hours a day of traffic or toiling 12 hours for $10 a hour only to parcel out our children to day cares and neighbors. I would like to think we will come out better people from this.

I know I have a utopian outlook and I always have; but now, at this time, I think we are dangerously close to a change. What that change is, is yet to be seen but I, for one, am always hopeful. I raise a glass to a big more space of our choosing and a much better quality of life for all; not just the few.

(all photos compliments of Pixels)