Making adjustments

The term "the new normal" has been thrown out a lot in the past few months as people make adjustments to the conditions presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, including social distancing and the wearing of masks.
In my case, there was a pretty large shakeup in life, with the temporary layoff taking place on April 1, which I have to admit was completely unexpected. Two days later, I applied for unemployment through the New Hampshire state web site. The good news was that I was paid for the week I was laid off and also received a week of pay for the personal time I had accrued through the first three months of the year.
Each week, I went back to the unemployment web site and filed my claim, but the weeks went on with no money deposited in my account. Eventually, as it went out to more than a month without anything coming in, it became obvious I was either going to have to find a job or move out of my apartment if I wanted to keep paying my health insurance bill (Affordable Care Act my ass).
One of the coaches I work with during my normal life, Peter Kelly, is the general manager of the Yum Yum Shop in Wolfeboro and had said soon after the layoff happened that if I needed a job, he had a spot for me that would likely be available in the middle of May. While out walking one afternoon, I saw Peter and fellow Kingswood hockey coach Mike Potenza in the shop parking lot and stopped by to say hello. Peter again let me know he had a position if I wanted it and since the unemployment still hadn't come through, I took him up on his offer.
I went in on a Thursday afternoon and filled out paperwork and got the lay of the land. And wouldn't you know it, that Friday afternoon, the notice came that the unemployment funds were going to be deposited into my bank account.
I started work on May 11 at 5 a.m. and after a couple of days, moved to starting at 4 a.m. Now, I'm not averse to waking up early. In my regular life, my alarm goes off around 5:30 a.m., but setting an alarm prior to 3 a.m. is a bit of a challenge.
As I've mentioned before, I have worked in kitchens pretty much all my life, so that environment is nothing new to me. However, every kitchen is different and working more on the baking side of things is an adjustment. I'm slowly learning the ins and outs of making pies, donuts, turnovers and cookies. The good news is that I work with a lot of really nice people who have been more than helpful in getting me through it all.
It's definitely different, but I don't quite feel like it's the "new normal" yet. I am happy to be working, mainly because I was going out of my mind of boredom sitting at home all day. On work days (Thursday through Monday) I get out of work around noon and still head out in the afternoon for a walk. On days I don't have to work, I try to walk a little in the morning as well. As a creature of habit, I am learning new habits and routines but I am also hopeful that at some point I am going to be able to get back to the routine that comes with covering sports every day.