It’s been a while but it’s time. It’s time to take the mask off and get back to the office and get to work. About two years ago we had to adjust to the “new normal” of everyone working from home. You know that old, new normal of being on Zoom conference calls, dealing with barking dogs, and as soon as it’s time for you to talk on that call, your neighbor decides to crank up the chain saw right outside your window, adding to more of the background noise.

And of course, who could forget the fun and excitement of homeschooling your kids during all this … ahh, the memories. My kids are all adults, married and out of the house. Not long ago, I had an architect tell me, “After the summer break, if my kids don’t go back to school, someone’s going to die, either me or all of them.” Need I say more?

The days of rolling out of bed five minutes before your first call, blurring the background because you don’t want anyone to see where your office is in your house, or better yet, turning your camera off and having people look at that avatar picture of what you may look like—well, those days are over.

And if you’re like me you’re looking forward to getting rid of the Covid-19 … pounds! You know the 19+ pounds you may have gained from the lock-down. This is what happens when we sit at home, not doing much around the house, thinking, “What’s the point, no one’s coming over. I’ll just stay in my gym shorts and maybe, oh, I don’t know, find a clean T-shirt to wear.” All in the past!

Now, it’s time. It’s time to look forward to the “old normal,” or I’ll just call it normal. You remember the normal, don’t you? The days of wearing a complete outfit–dress shirt, dress pants, shoes and yes, even socks! No more wearing, at best, a golf shirt, gym shorts and flip-flops, because on your Zoom call you only had to worry about how you look from the waist up. I’m here to proclaim, those days are over!

Over the past 18 months, I’ve given between 85-90 virtual lunch and learn presentations. From those, I learn a lot and I think I’ll blog about that next month. So, for me, I’ll be so glad to get back to in-person presentations, in-person project meetings, client lunches, dinners, and of course traveling. Aww the good old days!

The bottom line for me is this, I need to interact with people, talk to people, and learn from people. Sadly, every day I have to use about 10,000 words, and if I don’t, my wife has to hear me talk until I reach 10,000. Which is to say, I’m sure she’s glad the pandemic is over, if for no other reason than to have silence, and to see me traveling again.

My 2 cents …