Seems like I lucked out by not seeing the response that got edited.
Here's the thing: as I said, we are not back to "normal", as defined something like, "exactly the same as pre-Covid". And also, our lives are still pretty fucking fantastic. A scrap of fabric over my face at the grocery store doesn't diminish my life in any way. In fact, it likely keeps me from getting sick--not just Covid, but also the everyday sniffles that happened a couple times a year--so I suppose it could be considered an improvement on my life.
I also now Zoom with my elderly parents once a week, and my sister and her spouse join us ever other week. What a boon that has been for our family, when before we spoke sporadically (and we still do that as well as things come up between zooms.
I still manage to see friends in relatively safe ways--outside or in a home but mindful of distance, usually, and if all are vaccinated.
And I'll admit that I feel decent about wearing a mask and, in some small way, contributing to the well-being of my community. All achieved with the unimaginable sacrifice of staying ~6" away from another shopper and strapping a little cloth to my face.
While I am in no way ready to go to a concert or a packed movie theater--a friend recently posted a photo from a concert of bodies smashed together, not a mask to be seen, and it made me cringe *for my own comfort*, I can see how those things have their place and are becoming more personal judgements than [what I previously perceived to be] questions with clear moral answers. Things are easing. I don't think that's bad or wrong (barring another large wave that puts our hospitals back on the brink of collapse).
But there is plenty of space between "normal, exactly as we were" and "complete lockdown". It's amazing to me that people can't seem to envision perfectly happy lives that are somewhere on that spectrum other than the absolute "exactly as we were end". Again, the minimal 'sacrifices' seem to be things like masking in more public or crowded situations and some basic social distancing just seem like ridiculous things to fight, in nearly all cases. If that stands between someone and happiness... what an odd life that seems like it must be.