Life is so different now than it was pre-pandemic. The pandemic created a final push for cloud storage of everything, and our office, like most offices, went paperless. Access to most things is online, sometimes exclusively. Rarely does anyone want to talk to me about any aspect of my life – my health, finances or even shopping needs. We make appointments to see the doctor online, check our bank accounts online, pay our bills online, buy our groceries and sundries online. If I need a vet appointment for my dog I make the appointment online, and then I fill out pages of paperwork online. Oh yes, filling out paperwork online is a sad reality, too, for health issues, financial applications, job applications and so on.
The pandemic also caused huge price increases in our food, paper products, clothing and in gas prices. When the pandemic was over, those price increases continued and have even grown. I believe this is the hardest reality to adjust to for most of us.
The worst part about living in a world that is online is that so many older people are lost. They can’t even access much-needed coupons at the grocery store! And, whether we like it or not, nothing is going back to the way it was.
A Little Bit of Everything, With Love 