9 Things We Started During the Pandemic That Are Now a Permanent Part of Everyday Life in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York

It is hard to believe that today (March 13th) marks the sixth anniversary of when pandemic restrictions began to disrupt our lives here in New England.

You probably remember that the changes were implemented overnight.  One day, we are living life as normal, the next day we were dealing with one-way aisles at the grocery store, the cancellation of concerts & sporting events, occupancy limits, and the shuttering of certain types of businesses.

For many, those changes came as a shock.

For months, we had been keeping an eye on what was going on in China and Europe.  The Centers For Disease Control had even warned us that the pandemic could change the way that we live our lives.  I don't think any of us actually believe it, though.

Over the next few months, we saw the implementation of many rules, trends, and policies.  While we assumed that most of these would be temporary (just until we flatten the curve and everyone goes back to work), some of them have become permanent fixtures in our lives.

The pandemic taught us that we did not have to live our lives the way we have been for decades.

Check out this list of things we started doing during the pandemic and have made more or less permanent.

During the pandemic, we learned that you did not have to spend 40+ hours a week at work.  Instead, you could have a lot more flexibility by working from home.  Additionally, we took up new hobbies, like gardening and cooking.  We also learned that cashless transactions can be a lot quicker than sorting through paper money and coins.

What else would you add to this list?