Can you believe it has been five years since COVID-19 shut down the world? To mark the milestone, I’m dusting off a piece I wrote in May 2020 about what I hoped the post-pandemic “normal” would look like. Spoiler alert: We missed some valuable pandemic life lessons!
Welcome to the 105th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a simple living challenge for the week. In addition to pandemic life lessons, this week’s edition looks at environmentally friendly beer packaging, plant-based motor oil, and keeping track of all those loyalty cards.
On my mind this week: Pandemic life lessons we didn’t learn
Can you believe it has been five years since the world shut down thanks to COVID-19? When I heard the news this week, I thought a lot about what we’ve lived through since that Friday the 13th of March 2020. To mark the milestone, I’m dusting off a post I wrote in 2020. In that post, I reflected on what I hoped our post-pandemic “normal” would look like.
When I wrote the original post, we were just two months into pandemic restrictions. There was no vaccine yet, and we were still naively thinking that life would return to normal in a matter of weeks. As I looked ahead to the day when restrictions would end, I considered the lessons and positives we could take away from the experience.
My post-pandemic wish list
Here, unedited, is what was on my wish list:
- More focus on people and relationships, instead of accumulating material things.
- Spending time on activities that bring joy and happiness, instead of mindlessly accepting every invitation to fill our calendar.
- Favours aren’t something to be returned. We help out neighbours and friends because it’s the right thing to do.
- Diverse opinions are celebrated. Instead of attacking people who don’t think like us, we truly listen to each other and work together to find solutions.
- More family dinners, games nights and walks.
- Increased respect for nature and our beautiful planet.
- Appreciation and respect for the value of all work.
- We don’t need “Random Acts of Kindness Day”. Daily acts of common courtesy like opening doors and helping our neighbours are just what we all do.
- We celebrate people who make a difference, instead of celebrities who wear the right clothes and are seen in the right places.
- Governments, businesses and citizens work together to ensure the marginalized in our society have a chance for a better life.
We missed the valuable pandemic life lessons
The pandemic gave us the opportunity to repaint the canvas of our world. Instead of blindly rushing back to the way things were, we had a chance to pause and rethink our values and what we wanted our lives—and our world—to look like. I could analyze each of these wishes one by one but I think the outcome is clear.
As I look at the state of the world in 2025, it’s safe to say that we missed the valuable pandemic life lessons that were there for the taking.
As a society, we are more divided than ever. Consumption is out of control. We no longer respect workers considered “essential” in the midst of pandemic restrictions. Progress on climate change is being rolled back. Organizations are slashing their DEI programs.
Meanwhile, the billionaires get richer while the marginalized get poorer.
Will history repeat itself?
Where will it all end? A look at the history books may provide some clues.
After World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic, the world entered the “Roaring Twenties”—a time of prosperity, innovation, and increased consumption. The rapid economic growth came to a crashing halt following the stock market crash on Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929.
After the euphoria of the 1920s, the 1930s were some of the worst times the world has seen. The Great Depression saw economic hardship and widespread poverty around the world.
As much as I try to stay positive, I fear that we may be headed in that direction again. Because it’s evident that we have learned nothing from history.
I hope I’m wrong. But time will tell.
Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.
Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:
- On Sunday, we went to the Kitchener Rangers game. It was an exciting game, and the Rangers defeated nearby rivals Guelph Storm 4-3.
- I submitted my final project for the Plain Language Certificate that I’ve been working on for the last few years. Now, I wait for my final marks!
- The signs of spring are everywhere. This week, we saw our first robins and a red-winged blackbird. Warmer temperatures are finally melting the piles of snow. And we spotted some snowdrops in our garden on Friday.
Things I learned this week
Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:
Moosehead Presidential Pack
You have to admire the creativity of New Brunswick’s Moosehead Brewery. Canada’s last remaining major brewery owned by Canadians made headlines this week when it introduced its “Presidential Pack.” The pack contains 1,461 cans of Moosehead Lager—one for every day for the next four years.
Small problem, though. I don’t think beer will keep for four years. Although with the way things are going, one a day might not be enough.
For a little inspiration, I pulled this nugget from the Moosehead website:
Today we exist to reawaken and reward the courage to go after what’s difficult, because we know that obstacles are opportunities to show the world what you’re capable of.
Bottled beer is the most environmentally friendly option
Speaking of beer, aluminum tariffs are concerning for Canadian breweries who import aluminum cans from the United States. But, there is a better alternative. Buy bottled beer.
The returnable, reusable and refillable glass beer bottle uses 93% less energy than making a new container. (Source: Lloyd Alter on Substack)
Plant-based motor oil
Japanese company Idemitsu Kosan has launched an innovative racing engine oil made from over 80% plant-based ingredients. With a carbon footprint 82% lower than conventional oils, this engine oil uses sustainably sourced palm oil as its base, alongside esters from rapeseed and sunflower oils.
(Source: Happy Eco News)
This week’s simple living challenge – Loyalty card app
Simplifying life is a big part of living more intentionally. With that in mind, I kicked off the year with 52 ways to simplify your life this year, including a downloadable checklist of weekly tasks.
This week’s challenge is to free up space in your wallet by storing your loyalty and other membership cards in an app. I use the Klarna app and I love it.
I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
Discover more from Boomer Eco Crusader
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I really appreciate your observations, Michelle, and Pete’s comment, too. Some of us are wired to look for positivity but it’s a tough road right now. With you. With you. 💕
Thanks, Vicki! I just keep reminding myself to focus on the positive and what’s happening right now, and stop worrying “what if?” Some days it’s easier to do that than others, though. We will stay positive together. Hugs to you my friend. 🤗
Hugs right back to you…within the clouds and confusion, your friendship is a bright spot! 🌞
Usually in times of crisis, people come together. It will be interesting to see how history looks back upon this period because politics got in the way of simply doing the right thing.
I think that’s what I struggled with the most, Pete. I tried to do the right thing, and didn’t find it to be too much of a hardship. Yet, I saw others acting selfishly and refusing to put the greater good ahead of their own personal wants. It will be interesting to see if the perspective changes as time goes by.
We don’t need to hear from the greatest economists in an interview or from any business news reporter about where we are heading. We all know that recession this time will come much faster than it did in the past. I feel sad and scared about me and my family’s future.
It is very frightening, Ranjana. My only hope is if the rest of the world joins together and stands up to the USA and Russia and they see sense. It’s a longshot, but it’s the only thing keeping me somewhat optimistic at this point.
Kudos to the Moosehead Brewery for a great idea!
As for missing out on the pandemic wish-list, I think you might be too pessimistic. I think a number of people (or maybe it’s just health care workers?) got a real wake up call about what’s important in life. It’s just that jerks usually make headlines more than thoughtful people.
You make an excellent point. I agree that the pandemic did prompt some people to reflect and make positive changes in their lives on an individual level. I was looking at it more from a broader societal level. It’s hard to feel optimistic right now. Hopefully when I write my 10 year reflection things will be better… 😂
You were very optimistic and I think we have to harness some of that.
True! We need that optimism right now.