With the global rollout of vaccine many are now focusing on other aspects of the pandemic, namely, the aftermath, because there’s bound to be one.

Confinement to our homes and immediate families tested all relationships and I suspect we’ll see many ‘partings’ for those couples that were borderline committed before Covid. And I hope we’ll see a resurgence of good old family values for those who used this period of confinement to strengthen family ties. Who knows, maybe we’ll see a baby boom? It’s said this is our generations war and the last major war presented a population explosion. These last 18 months people had to find things to occupy their time so I guess a baby boom would be one of the few positive outcomes of the pandemic.

Psychologically it’s had a tremendous impact; some demographics more than others, and all those born during Covid will form a new and unique generation. (and thank God, cause I’m so sick of these millennials!)

Retail as we knew it has changed. Online shopping has become the norm and I’m not sure that’s necessarily a good thing because the little guy can’t compete with online giants like Amazon so our charming ‘Mom & Pop shops’ may be a thing of the past. (this leaves us at the mercy of merchandise that is mass produced) Plus, like many of my ilk, I enjoy the ritual of shopping. It’s an outing, an event, and browsing online just doesn’t do it for me.

Employers have realized which of their employees thrive in the office environment and which can still produce working from home, giving them cause to rethink their bricks and mortar. (I wouldn’t want to be the holder of a lot of commercial property right now…I suspect a lot of office leases will not be renewed)

Construction has boomed and the housing market has taken off everywhere. And travel has changed. Luxury cruises and excursions abroad are still met with hesitancy. People are still nervous and anticipating staying close to home in the foreseeable future so there’s a renewed interest in investing in home. (Yet another perk of Covid)

Certainly society has changed; ‘people’, maybe forever. And that’s a good thing. We’ve witnessed displays of kindness and compassion for our fellow man because when it really mattered we all came together, and society before Covid was seriously lacking these personal acts of consideration.

I suspect we are nowhere near done with this global pandemic, but I’m optimistic that we’ve gotten a handle on it, and I’d like to think we’ve learned from it. Stock markets will rally. Businesses will open or re-open. People will venture out again. Retail will survive, and employees will re-invent themselves for a new business environment. All will be well with the world again but I think the most valuable lesson here is that we learned to value what really matters in our world, the people.

The aftermath of a global crisis doesn’t have to be bad. The sun will rise again, the waters will calm, and a new day will dawn, one with hope and opportunity so let’s use this lesson wisely. Remember what brought us together, kept us strong, and strengthened our resolve….before we slip back into old habits.