COMMENTARY
NEW NORMAL
MAY/JUNE 2021 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 123
Normal –– what is that? At this
time in the year 2021, “normal”
seems like a memory of things
long past. Normal is a pattern
of things we are used to and comfortable
with, things we do without thinking
about them out of habit or frequency. To
me, it is things I do sort of instinctively
or automatically, like driving a car. We
may also have other things we do almost
unconsciously or automatically.
For me, life on the Suncoast means being
able to go to the beach when I feel like it,
maybe to sail the waves in a boat, or it
could even be hitting a golf ball on one
of the many championship and highly
rated courses in our area. One of those
so-called normal things is taking a ride on
a Sunday afternoon fully confident that if
you get hungry along the way, there will
be a choice of spots where you can stop
and get something to eat or drink. During
2020, many of those options disappeared
as the quarantine took over. I wondered if
we would ever get back to normal. I miss
the freedom of being able to do things
without forethought.
It seems as though we will wear masks
a bit longer and continue to wash our
hands more than we did before COVID-19.
However, our lives will change in other
ways. Not everything will go back to the
way it was before, which is not necessarily
a bad thing. There seems to be a light at
the end of the tunnel. I just hope it is not
a train coming at us.
Although parking at the beach has
become more difficult and tee times
harder to set, there are still daily sunsets,
the beauty of nature around us, and lots of
other things for us to enjoy. Returning to
a new normal, we can expect our favorite
restaurants to be open and to provide
outdoor seating and other newly added
takeout and delivery services, while
many people work from the comfort of
their homes.
So as we move forward, we will find
a new normal as we adapt to the new
realities facing us. It will not be the same,
but we will adjust, and it will be fine. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dick Crippen, a staple in
Tampa Bay broadcasting for more than 40 years,
has retired from being a senior adviser for the
Tampa Bay Rays, where he worked extensively
with the military. He is active in the world
of charity fundraising and sits on numerous
boards for nonprofit organizations.
By Dick Crippen
Dick Crippen