It’s been a year, apparently. Time flies. The COVID pandemic had hit our public awareness and went from the news that flashed on our phones to tangible harm in the real world. That means it’s been a while since I’ve gone to a yoga class, written in Panera Bread or an independent tea shop. At the least with Toastmasters, we are in talks about how to meet safely so as to keep our club members from getting infected, using social distancing and open areas.
At work, we did an in-person event, with social distancing and permission for boundaries. I missed everyone and was happy to see them. We couldn’t believe that in spring 2020, we grabbed our work equipment and drove home before normal clocking out.
The meetup made me feel better about the episodes where characters are stuck with others on sitcoms. Usually, they don’t have to stay together for as long, usually by the end of the episode. By then, as well, they decide to make up. When the pandemic started, I wasn’t worried. From what I heard, people in Florida would have the sunshine, and we would quarantine in the summer when it came to us. UV rays are great for dealing with certain parasites. We also would surely have sensible people that would wash our hands on a regular basis and show that we could minimize the risk of illness.
That did not happen. We were called into work one day and told we would be submitting our projects and communicating remotely. We had to pack up anything we needed, and stand by for further instructions. The day ended early, as we moved to grab what we needed. I was expecting this to only last about a few months. Instead, it has been a year.
We may have facilities or workplaces in the fall, and vaccines to take. (I need to look up when to take mine, and to plan for the inevitable exhaustion from the second dose.) What’s more, maybe things will become safer. One benefit is conferences and conventions have become virtual. It means I can attend more of them, and even volunteer. That has been pretty cool and worthy of another blog post. I like doing virtual convention work on weekends.
Ultimately, we don’t know. The future is uncertain. But for now, some of us are here, and we mourn those who aren’t. I hope you all stay safe, wash your hands, and wear a mask if you need to go out. Love you, folks.
