Sarah Smalls is back on tiptoe in her old routine, now that she is completely vaccinated against Covid-19. He organized the Easter dinner. Her adult son now stops for visits inside. She and her husband plan to travel again.
But like many other recently vaccinated Americans, Mrs. Smalls, 74, who lives in Lorton, Virginia, is not just looking to thaw and restart her pre-pandemic life.
Mrs. Smalls says the person who suffered the pandemic is not the same one who comes out. It is emerging with new goals, priorities and concerns. The long pause that forced isolation and introspection has been a catalyst to change course.
Mrs. Smalls intends to finally learn to swim. She wants to go on weekend trips with her best friends. And most of all, he won’t return to the frantic pace he maintained for years while raising three grandchildren and working nonprofits. During the pandemic, he quit his staff job to consult with the group, a change he said he did not expect to make for several more years.
“As the kids say, ‘I’ll do it,'” says Mrs. Smalls. .