The Cellist of Sarajevo

I read an article on "What will the New Normal Look Like?"  My daughter asks me that question almost every time we talk.  She and I were suppose to take a mother daughter trip to France this April but obviously that did not happen.  I was heartsick as I cancelled all our reservations.  

We spoke optimistically.  Of course we would reschedule. October was our goal, after all that was six whole months away.  Sadly that is not happening either.  At this point we are hoping to go next April in 2021.

According to this article that I read,  the new normal will  be filled with anxiety similar to PTSD.  He was from Sarajevo and lived through the war there. The war in Sarajevo started in April of 1992 and would continue until February 29, 1996.  Sources estimate that 10,000 people were killed and 6,000 were wounded.  The city was bombarded with an average of 329 shells per day. 

He recalls navigating down this one street where snipers were stationed and would randomly pick people and shoot them.  He took to avoiding walking down that street and continued to avoid it long after the war was over.  


In my state, as of today, there are 14,193 confirmed cases.  My county is a hot spot with 3,060 cases confirmed.  There have been 584 deaths. In the United States, there have been over 855,000 confirmed cases and 48,000 deaths.  

My new normal is going to be extremely different then my old normal.  We will continue to be facing a silent killer for a long time.  Experts say this cycle may last two years with an uptick during flu season in the Fall. I am not sure I will be able to go to theaters and restaurants for a while. Or maybe if I go it will be in off peak times so there are no crowds.  I know I will not be going to concerts any time soon.  I probably will be wearing gloves in public places and if I do end up in a crowded place I will wear a face mask.

I will be happy to see friends and family but maybe the gatherings will be smaller. Will I hesitate to hug people?  I don't know.

I read the The Cellist of Sarajevo some time ago but I thought I would re-read it. It is a haunting story that portrays what life was like in Sarajevo during their war.  People lived in fear of crossing streets and being gunned down by a sniper.  Others waiting in line for bread were killed by bombs being aimed at them while they waited. 

A Cellist watched twenty two of his fellow neighbors killed right under his window.  On that day he decided to play his cello in that exact spot for twenty two days, one day for each of the deaths.  He became a symbol of life as it had been and hope that it would once again go back to being normal. 

We saw something similar to  this in Italy where COVID swooped into towns with great fury.  People could not leave their houses because the enemy, this virus made them sick with many not recovering.  However,  many of these folks would go out on their balcony each evening and sing together.  They couldn't be near their neighbors physically but through music they stayed connected and hoped that things would return to normal.  

This not a new book.  In fact, many of you have probably read the book but if you haven't read it you should.