Sarah Smalls is on the verge of her feet following her old routine, now that she has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. She offered Easter dinner. Her adult son now stops for indoor visits. She and her husband plan to travel again.
But just like many other Americans who were recently vaccinated, Ms. Smalls, who is 74 years old and lives in Lorton, Va., Just thawed her life before the pandemic.
Mrs. Smalls says the person who went into the pandemic is not the same person who came out. She comes up with new goals, priorities and concerns. The long pause that forced both isolation and introspection was a catalyst to change course.
Me. Smalls aims to eventually learn to swim. She wants to take weekend getaways with her best friends. And most importantly, she will not return to the frenetic pace she kept for years while raising three grandchildren and working for a non-profit organization. During the pandemic, she quit her job to consult with the group, a change she said would not take place for a few more years.
“As the children say, ‘I’m going to do my thing,’ Smalls. ‘It took a pandemic to come along and show me that you do not have much time to do what you want to do. It gave me the knock, and it was a hard blow. ‘