As the fall 2021 school year approached, students were relieved to hear that masks would not be required in school. Then, days before schools opened, the Department of Education announced that masks would be required until at least October 1st. 

All the answers we were given during the summer were gone, and every new answer comes with doubts as we step further away from a return to normal. But what was our normal to begin with?

Going back to pre-pandemic lifestyles is a motivation for some, but a fantasy for others. Not everyone can say they were the happiest or the safest before the pandemic, and some cannot still say that today. 

While throwing away masks for good is a universal desire, who is willing to follow the rules to make it happen? We have vaccines available for those 12 +, but even that cannot inspire people to end the pandemic for good. 

So what does it take to go back to normal?

Personally, I want to move past the pandemic and find a new normal. The normal I experienced pre-pandemic was nothing to want again, so I want to move forward. 

But I am just one person. 

I do not want or desire the same things  as others. Yet I can say if we all want this to end, we need to do our part to make it happen to get our own personal normal back once again. 

Maybe it will be like before, or something on the opposite side, but whatever it is, all of us need to pull our weight if we want this nightmare to end.