Things are never going back to normal
I don't mean to say that the sky is falling, but when things settle down (and they will), things are not going back to the way they were.
The world we know is gone. And it's not coming back.
I keep hearing people say that until things get back to normal, they're going to stay isolated and as the Uncle Remus character, Brer bear said," I'm going to lay low."
That's a good plan, except things are not going to go back to normal, at least, not back to the normal we know.
Yes, people will go back to work. The stores and restaurants will open, but the world will be different.
And while we're talking about things going back to normal, don't expect to see stores and restaurants to open at the end of April. It's not going to happen.
In time the streets won't be empty like they are in the photo below, and everything might look like it's back to the way it was before the coronavirus, but it won't be.
There will be new challenges and new opportunities. You need to be prepared for both.
Here are just some changes I think you will see
1. A lot of people will continue to work from home. This trend will be good for RVers. Companies will discover how well it works, and how it can cut their costs and overhead.
2. People will not be in any hurry to go out to bars and restaurants and sit close to other people. They will in due time, but not immediately.
3. People will be slow to start flying a lot. They will drive a lot more to avoid crowded planes and airports.
4. Online banking, doctor visits, shopping, and video conferencing will become much more common.
5. Businesses will be relying more on technology than ever before and will be incorporating it at a faster pace.
6. A lot of people will not be going on cruises anytime soon regardless of how much they lower the price.
7. People will think twice before they visit a foreign country. It will be months and maybe even a year or more before people will feel safe traveling.
8. A lot of smaller liberal arts colleges will close or go to almost exclusive online teaching. Students will begin to realize that getting out of college with $50,000 to $100,000 in student loans and having a degree in a field where there are no jobs (or at least, no good-paying jobs) would not be a good choice.
9. After being exposed to it, I think some parents are going to be taking a closer look at homeschooling. Traditional schools are an inefficient way to learn. In two hours a day, kids can learn more at home than they can by leaving home at 7:00 am and getting back in the late afternoon. Of course, when it comes to having the kids home all day, I'm sure some parents are going to say, "Hell no."
10. One other thing to consider, if the virus hits again this fall when cooler weather comes, and before we have a vaccine (and that scenario is very likely), that will slow the recovery even more.
The effects of coronavirus on your work and life will change a lot of things in your world. Don't expect to see things go back to "normal" as we know it now.
Bill Gates said it best 20+ years ago when he was talking about predicting the future. He said you can't win. If you're right, people will say, "Well, that was obvious." And if you're wrong, they will say, "How dumb could you be?"
Use this time to be productive
Don't waste this time checking the news or stock market every hour. Do something productive. Write a book, learn to play a musical instrument, or learn a foreign language.
Shakespeare composed some of his most enduring work, including King Lear, during the plague of 1605 and 1606. Newton discovered gravity and invented calculus under quarantine.
When this is all over with, what will you be able to say you did during this time? Hopefully, you can say that you did something other than gain 10 pounds.
Bottom line: If you're expecting the world to go back to exactly like it was before the coronavirus train wreck hit, "It ain't going to happen."
One final thought. All of these comments are just my opinions. I may be wrong. I was wrong one time before (a long time ago).