Living Life at Half-Speed

I imagine life here on St. Simons is much like everywhere else. We seem to be living our lives in slow motion. Gone is the routine of jumping up and going here and there to shop, have lunch, or just hang out. Our days are planned around getting groceries and other necessities and trying to figure out how to find a respite to have a bit of fun. At least that’s how I see it.

Most of the shops and restaurants are open in one fashion or another, for takeout or limited inside dining. More people are going out but not in their usual numbers. Traffic is virtually back to normal, and real estate and new construction seem to be thriving. People have returned to the beaches, walking their dogs and enjoying the warm and sunny days all the while keeping their distance from one another.

Still, life here is a far cry from the usual crowds and hubbub that characterizes what we remember as “normal.” There are more empty storefronts than usual, some likely a result of the pandemic. Employment must still be down, especially in the restaurant and bar business. That said, it is nothing like the virtual shutdown of everything late last spring and early summer. Then most places were closed up tight, and the traffic on Ocean Blvd., the main street, was almost nothing.

What puzzles me most is that the increased activities go on in face of a pandemic that is far from over. The numbers of deaths and infections from this debilitating virus remain high even with the recent decline in hospitalizations. It will be many months before the vaccines help get us back to life as usual. We still need to be careful and cautious each day.

I know we are tired of all the restrictions of the past months, but we should not let down now