Dusting off old musical instruments, appreciating the outdoors more meaningfully, dumping the hair dye and letting the gray fly forever.

The pandemic disrupted our traditions, practices and pursuits, what we do with our time, whatB次元官网网址檚 important in routines. It replaced old with new, a kind of new that just might stick.

Nearly three years after the World Health Organization declared the deadly spread of COVID-19 a pandemic, thereB次元官网网址檚 plenty of old life mixed with the new. And, yes, the latter includes a whole lot of Zooming still going on among families, colleagues and friends, near and far.

HereB次元官网网址檚 a look at pandemic passions that for some are here to stay:

INSTRUMENT REDUX

That sax in the corner. The piano that looks so nice in the living room but was rarely played. People , some after decades, to flex their musical muscles.

TheyB次元官网网址檙e not looking for concert careers, but theyB次元官网网址檙e dedicated in their rediscoveries.

Bob Dorobis in Middletown, New Jersey, worked intensely to improve his guitar fingerpicking during the pandemic after a long break. Now, the 70-year-old software developer is looking forward to more practice time in retirement.

B次元官网网址淲hen your fingerpicking sounds good itB次元官网网址檚 very rewarding,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 finally realized the only way for me to like it better is to learn it better.B次元官网网址�

EXERCISE LOVE

The when its stock tanked as many pandemic newbies lost their mojo. Many, but not all. WeB次元官网网址檝e got newcomers seriously spinning on.

Amid all the spinning, folks who hadnB次元官网网址檛 worked out in years are now , working up to half-marathons and beyond.

We have who hadnB次元官网网址檛 ridden since childhood. And we have walkers who mapped out where to find the best cats to visit and are steadfast in their feline wandering on foot.

Beth Lehman, a Greenville, New York, nanny, hopped on a bike for the first time in years while teaching one of her young charges during the pandemic. Now, the whole family she works for rides with her, including a grandfather in his mid-80s.

B次元官网网址淚 faked confidence,B次元官网网址� she said of taking to two wheels again.

NEIGHBORLY KINDNESS

Craving company, we stood on lawns, sidewalks and cul-de-sacs . We brought homemade soups to senior shut-ins. We turned over armfuls of fresh-cut flowers from our gardens. We lingered for a socially distanced chat.

Commitments to continues, with neighborly schedules made for snow shoveling and pies delivered for the holidays.

Lisa and Larry Neula in Sacramento, California, shared the gift of aloha with their neighbors. She was a competitive Hawaiian dancer and hula instructor and heB次元官网网址檚 a member of the famous Lim Family singers of Kohala.

Together, they entertained their neighbors during the pandemic from their driveway and continue their performances there today.

B次元官网网址淚f you get one person who shows they want to be social, then the other people catch on. It gets to be contagious,B次元官网网址� Lisa said. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 want to take all the credit, but it makes me a better person.B次元官网网址�

MINDFUL GARDENING

Gardening turned into restful curation. It also was a way to get some extra exercise and grow fresh food.

That meant bushy old shrubs that were once a chore became manicured assets that are a joy to tend. More grass to plant native-plant gardens and wildflower meadows, and .

.

B次元官网网址淣ow, I rarely watch TV,B次元官网网址� said Kelly Flor-Robinson in Bethany Beach, Delaware.

GROOMING REVELATIONS

Some their blow dryers.

TheyB次元官网网址檝e chosen to embrace their inner curliness and gray. Today, they canB次元官网网址檛 be bothered going back after nearly three years of natural hair.

B次元官网网址淚n March 2020, right after everyone was basically in lockdown, I ignored the reminder in my calendar to do the root touch-up, and I ignored the next and the next and so on,B次元官网网址� said Susan Cuccinello in Ossining, New York.

B次元官网网址淚 remember when salons started opening back up and several of my friends were so relieved they could get their hair and roots colored again. That didnB次元官网网址檛 sway me one bit. And my hair is actually thicker and healthier. Plus itB次元官网网址檚 great to smash another relic of the patriarchy!B次元官网网址�

Others gave up makeup and underwire. They once considered both a necessity TheyB次元官网网址檙e still happily going without.

GOOD SPORTS

With a , some sports attracted new enthusiasts.

, growing its fan base and expanding the demand for courts. That has upset a tennis player or two, or four.

.

In Maplewood, New Jersey, Matthew Peyton and his son, Julian, discovered golf together. Julian now works as a fitter in a sports shop and is eyeing college golf programs. They had never played before.

B次元官网网址淪o there I am. Single dad with a 15-year-old, active teenage boy who wonB次元官网网址檛 be going to school for two years,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 know whatB次元官网网址檚 safe. We donB次元官网网址檛 touch door knobs or go to the store. But the golf course is our refuge. YouB次元官网网址檙e 300 yards away from anyone else all by yourself. ItB次元官网网址檚 like a private oasis.B次元官网网址�

THE ZOOM BOOM

WeB次元官网网址檙e still logging lots of Zoom time for work, book club, family visits and meetups with old friends. But there are other lasting uses that were born of pandemic necessity.

Bridal couples , for instance, or for lost loved ones.

Non-work Zooms today, with real-life back in swing, have thoroughly committed devotees. So do webinars, from art history to virtually exploring an exotic locale.

Samantha Martin, who splits her time between New York and West Palm Beach, Florida, relied a lot on Zoom and WhatsApp to visit with loved ones back home in Hong Kong and around the world. That morphed into B次元官网网址淪unday stories,B次元官网网址� a practice she continues today.

B次元官网网址淓very Sunday night I have dinner or breakfast, depending on the time difference, with a friend or family member around the world,B次元官网网址� Martin said. B次元官网网址淭he calendar is full one to two months in advance.B次元官网网址�

EXTRACURRICULAR REBOOT

The world shut down, and that included a lot of after-school soccer, chess and Mandarin for kids. and theyB次元官网网址檙e down to maybe one extracurricular a week.

The opposite is true for other families. Some kids picked up new activities because they were available during the pandemic and are thrilled to keep them going.

LESS IN-STORE SHOPPING

Those mainstays of pandemic life are new priorities for some former in-store enthusiasts.

B次元官网网址淚 used to enjoy food shopping, but this saves so much time and overspending on my part so I stuck with it,B次元官网网址� said Amanda Sheronas Spencer in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

B次元官网网址淚f I do go in person, I have to stick to my list, which is difficult for a person who loves food and cooking! Grocery stores are like shiny objects to me.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擫eanne Italie, The Associated Press