June 3, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Normal.

Life in Mississippi is becoming normal except of course, we are still supposed to keep social distancing. Apparently, the officials have excluded this charge from the protesters, who seem to be encourages to mass together right next to each other. But the restaurants are open here although we must be kept far away from others. On Monday I had lunch with Lisa and Christina at Amerigo. Their food is excellent and we enjoyed ourselves. Lisa's new normal for the past three months was three meals every day for six people. Fortunately she enjoys cooking and baking. But she was using so much flour and sugar she was buying it in 25 pound bags. But they had a good time together but she said it was labor intensive. And Friday I am taking my new neighbors Carrie and Brooks out for lunch. My old routine had been to invite friends out for lunch or coffee if they drove me home. My system worked. I got to have a visit with a friend and they got a little break from their routine. Now I am picking up my old routine. I am beginning to see more hugs but I do not see much shaking of hands. I wonder if we will ever continue that old custom. The new normal seems to be that people are still afraid of the virus even though over 99% of people who get the virus recover. So far, three children under 5 have died from the virus while 137 children under 5 have died from the flu. What on earth are they afraid of? The elderly or ill should stay away but everyone else should be getting along with their lives and returning to work. People are fed up with officials telling them what to do. It has always been true that when officials make rules and laws that make no sense, people will ignore those rules. Unfortunately, the new normal is to be angry with officials. Staying out after curfew is a type of civil disobedience. Fortunately, my life in Mississippi has returned to normal, which is a blessing to me. I enjoy lunches with my friends.