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After Texas Governor Gregg Abbott’s latest announcement, on Monday, concerning which businesses may now reopen, with restrictions, we must remember this does not mean business as usual.

Saying this is the new normal is not entirely accurate either.

This is the current normal for now.

COVID-19 struck a blow to the community and the economy in ways that appear impossible to recover at this time.

While we cannot turn back the clock and reclaim the lives taken by the coronavirus, we can work towards a stronger community moving forward.

As many may know, I have relatives in New Jersey. They have been in quarantine mode since March 13 and continue to await word they can see true signs of reopening the economy.

One relative tells me how many days it has been since she has left the house. She wants to walk through the stores and see something besides the same four walls.

I, like others, have to remind her that at her age and health, shopping is not an option during these times.

I spoke with another gentleman who lives in another part of the Garden State. When I mentioned where my relative lives, he said he wished he was there as she was near the beach.

So, one thing remains the same, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence if you see a half empty glass.

Maybe this time is an opportunity to take a ‘reboot’ in our way of thinking?

Tattoo shops should not have had to fight so hard to reopen.

Maybe, we should do more thinking outside the box and remember this is not our grandparent’s generation. Many organizations were changing how they ran the clubs, many of which have been around for generations.

Tattoo shops are not the dark, dingy, drunken places of the past. Over the years, the shops have evolved into artistic, clean and open places for like-minded persons to meet.

Much as surgical rooms have progressed and changed over the last couple of decades, so have the tattoo and piercing shops. It is time, we treat them with more respect.

We do not have to like everything about our neighbors, but we do need to respect them. Showing respect and not prejudging should be part of the new business as usual.

 

Dawn Burleigh is general manager and editor of The Orange Leader. She can be reached at dawn.burleigh@orangeleader.com