I have a different view of this than many people I've seen answer this kind of question.
I'd been following the news of the virus and was preparing for the day things would change. March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, was that day for me. As with most holidays, I wore my themed accessories and enjoyed a festive playlist. After that, everything is a blur of masks, social distancing, vaccinations, and virus misinformation around the plant. Yep, I work in manufacturing and we were deemed "Essential Workers." We even got official letters from the government for commuting, in case of lockdowns. It was a whirlwind of anxiety and uncertainty. I was relieved to still be working, so bills wouldn't be a problem. Like other EWs, I worried about staying healthy, and kept moving forward.
Who knows if fellow EWs feel this way, but that "last 'normal day' in 2020" marked a clear delineation in my life. All of that was "Before the pandemic." That's when the divergence began. While other people worked from home in their pjs, took up new hobbies, or tackled the obstacle course of being with the same people 24/7, my days went on much the same as before. I drove to work each morning, although the streets were less crowded. I got groceries and ate out, as long as they were delivered from an app. For me, life kept going, just with some changes.
As weeks turned into months, that other path slowly began to get closer, until finally it came back together with those of us that just kept going. For some, there was an end. For others, we still keep moving forward.
