"What is 'normal' going to be like?"

someone queried  yesterday. For this man it was no idle question. He has had surgery for a brain tumour and the cancer has spread to other places. At  present he is still up and about. He goes out. (I saw him in the shopping centre.) He takes sensible precautions. His doctors have told him, "It could be six days, six weeks, six months or six years." He is aiming on six years. There are things he wants to do.
I thought of all this when I chatted briefly to him yesterday. It made me wonder what "normal" will be like. Things are not "normal" right now - whatever that word might mean.
I know some people think that, in a few months, people will be back at work and it "will all be over". The  forecast economic downturn will not have happened. People will be able to meet for coffee and go to the footy.
The footy is apparently so important that the two teams which play in the national competition are to move interstate for a while. The chief health officer here advised the government not to let these precious darlings play on a "FIFO"  (fly-in, fly-out) basis. No, they would have to self-quarantine like the rest of us if they wanted to travel across the border.  There are complaints of course. I agree with the good doctor. We are, at present, having a quiet period with no new cases being reported. That is not to say there are none. There will be some in winter -but perhaps we can contain the problem to a less stressful level.
I have done less than I hoped I would. Self-isolation, lock-down, quarantine - whatever you want to call it - has been as busy as
usual. I have  not cleared out the room I planned to clear out and another room is just as badly in need of it. There are still far too many weeds in the garden. I have not finished the book I was writing. I thought those things might happen when I could not take responsibility for the other activities I am involved in.
There are other things I am concerned about. I  phoned a friend yesterday  - just to check. She needs support. I hope other people are doing the same.  When we can have visitors again I will invite her over for a cuppa and she can look at what I have been slowly making. 
I don't know what "normal" will look like but I hope it might include seeing friends... some of them in far away places.