As a teenager, I loved the mall and couldn’t wait to go there each weekend to see what was new in the stores, but as I grew up I began going less and less. For a lot of malls around the country, others were clearly doing the same thing.
Due to issues that developed with my skin, I began mall walking at a nearby mall late last year. This was not a dying mall, yet I was surprised at how many people went there early in the morning before most of the stores opened to get some exercise, read the paper and drink coffee from one of the cafes, or meet up with others. In some ways it was a true community gathering spot.
I didn’t go everyday, but often enough to see familiar faces, such as an older Chinese couple walking with their daughter, some fast moving women my age, an older man who got coffee at the Nordstrom café and would be carrying his small dog in his arms, and then the mothers with their strollers doing zumba. These scenes and activities became part of my routine until COVID-19.
Here in greater Cincinnati, the colleges and universities closed first, which stunned me. I went back to school late, and while my last semester contained two online courses, some classes I just can’t imagine online. Obviously technology has helped us to connect in ways unimaginable before, but it’s not the same.
As more and more restrictions and closures occurred, I kept looking at the mall hours, and, for a while, was relieved and surprised that they were still open. It made me feel things were okay, if only for a short time.
I was there last Tuesday after discovery my own gym closed and didn’t get the notice out to members. Feeling thankful at the time to be able to move, I was also worried when I saw the food court tables all gone, and Starbucks and Sbarro closed, along with a whole host of other stores like Apple and Bath & Bodyworks. Thursday I went back and even fewer stores were open. Surprisingly all the jewelry stores were open. Somehow when calamity nears, the last thing I’m thinking about getting is a big diamond. Maybe it’s just me.
Sunday was my final day. There were far less walkers. Several people seemed to be just gawkers or bored at home. Probably only a dozen shops were open and only a few of the food places. I worried I may have been risking my health and my husband’s being there, but knew I needed to move to keep my body from stiffening, and to keep myself sane. Plus, with as few people there, it was easy to maintain social distancing. Later that day our governor ordered a stay-at-home beginning Monday at midnight. To my surprise, the mall website showed they were open that day, clearly the last day for a while. I thought about going, but had other errands to do, and with the weather turning warmer, I decided to walk downtown instead, which was eerily empty on a Monday afternoon.
This morning, out of habit, I checked the mall's website to see it stating that they were closed every day of the week, and am feeling what little normalcy I had left slip away. It’s those little routines that make a life and can get us through the bad times. I’m hoping the weather will at least be more cooperative as we enter this new reality that none of us are surely ready for.