Have things returned to "normal" for you?

[Suicune's Fire]

It's been a weeeeeird time.

To be honest, I think the "normal" before COVID was stagnant, repetitive, and problematic. I think the "normal" since COVID is not normal! It feels like some things improved, some things got far worse, and some things remained the same. I've been extremely fortunate to not have lost anyone close to me to COVID, and I was able to keep my job and had no new major stressors. Most of my life changes have been positive. Reduction in traffic on my way to work, ability to work from home now and then, and attitudes about working from home, even just within my company, have shifted drastically.

I'm so sick of the weird, bullcrap systems that control the corporate world. Most of them don't even make sense, and many of them exist so certain people can exert dominance over others and practice elitism. I just care nothing for that attitude. xD We're all the same, stop thinking you're better than everyone else because you wear a fancy suit and know something about the stock market. Ew. I think some of those have been shaken up, but not enough.

I think one of the worst "new normal" aspects of COVID is the negative impact it's had on a lot of people's mental health. I fell out with a friend who got weirdly aggressive (not physically) and antagonistic as a result of our lockdowns. I've had my fair share of mental health struggles, worse than ever before. At least, I suppose, these changing times have also shed light on the importance of maintaining mental health. And hey, maybe we're just realising the system doesn't work, and have had the breathing room to figure out that we're not broken, but our systems are.

Also, the housing market in Melbourne skyrocketed over the past two years. Hooray.

Anyway, I hope things do remain different in the right ways. Wishful thinking probably, but at least some progress is being made.