If I ignored the people wearing masks and gloves everywhere and the occasional line up to enter a store, there really is not much that screams global pandemic like there was a few months ago. Although as a society we are still far from functioning like our old normal, we seem to be coasting along as if everything was fine and the pandemic was but a distant memory. Of course, that is simply not the truth. My city and province might not be in a terrible position, the Corona virus continues to spread its way through communities, and the fallout is still yet to be wholly realized. As such, this summer is a weird combination of some people overly fearful and panicked and others stubbornly rejecting the seriousness of this virus and the need for masks or social distancing. There are people in the middle, of course, but the extremes always garner more attention. Regardless of where you fall on the Covid spectrum, this summer, this year is drastically different even as we try our best to regain normalcy.
I am two weeks away from vacation time, and I can hardly wait. While I enjoyed the many weeks my workplace was closed in the earlier days of the pandemic, that just wasn’t the same thing as a real vacation. There was nowhere to go and nothing to do outside of your home, so we did home workouts and baked sourdough bread and crocheted and read books and watched Netflix…all enjoyable activities but not time away from the daily grind. Most of my vacation time will be spent at home with the exception of a weekend away at one of my favourite spots, because many hotels have substantially jacked their rates. It’s frustrating and disappointing. I appreciate that their business has suffered during the pandemic and tourism will be reduced for the rest of the year, but we have all been affected by the pandemic in one way or another. Some have lost income or jobs. Others have had no choice but to work through the worst of the pandemic, deemed essential and thus faced all the more pressure and stress and risk. Due to the huge increase in rates, we won’t be staying at the hotel we most enjoy staying at and had to settle for a motel of significantly lower standing to find a rate comparable to what we used to pay for the hotel. Parts of our experience won’t be quite as comfortable or enjoyable as a result, but I am still thankful that we are able to be in the area we want to be. Although it is technically a touristy location, it is also a very small, quaint and quiet place where we can disconnect, relax and unwind. I am so looking forward to being there!
I did not run at all this week. The main reason for that lies with my new tattoo. It’s still in the healing process, so I need to avoid clothing that rubs, I cannot use sunscreen but I need to keep it out of the sun. As much as I would have liked to have gone for a run at some point during the week, I have enjoyed not feeling the self-induced pressure to get it done. My work schedule often makes it difficult to fit a run in during work days, especially when I need to prioritize balancing work, the gym, early bedtimes and early shifts, so it has been lovely to start my weekend mornings at a slower pace, savouring coffee and breakfast before tackling the rest of my day. The soonest I might run again is next Saturday or Sunday, although I will still need to find the best way to keep cool and keep the sun off my tattoo.
Birthdays and special days are scattered throughout the year, but the August page of my calendar always seems to be packed. I sent a friend a text the other day asking if I had forgotten their birthday again; I had. I realized today that I missed another friend’s birthday yesterday. It isn’t the end of the world, but I like to stay on top of such things. I like to send a card or a text or post something on Facebook or give a gift. I do not want to be the person who always forgets important dates. Even non-birthday dates are important to me sometimes! I remember things. I acknowledge and celebrate things. Except when I forget and sometimes I do, but that isn’t the real me. Just an hour or so ago, I wrote in a card and got it ready to drop in the mail tomorrow. It’s a card for my coach, because I am celebrating working with him for three years now. Three years as of late July. It’s not like I forgot, because Facebook reminded me of the memory…I just got distracted and forgot to actually acknowledge it with my coach. Can I blame the memory gaps and distraction on the pandemic?
Yesterday I also realized that my oldest son has been living on his own for more than a month now. How did that month just fly by so quickly? It’s craziness, I tell you. He doesn’t miss me enough to want to move back home, which I guess is a good thing and I am really happy for him, but I am also glad that he works with his dad, so I still get to see him several times a week depending on my work schedule.
August just started and we’re heading into the middle of the month already! As much as Fall is my favourite season, I am not ready for summer to end yet. I love the cool, crisp Autumn air, but I also love running in shorts and a tank top, sitting on the deck in the shade of my maple tree, early sunrises and later sunsets (even if I’m in bed long before the sun). The pandemic has taken my concept of time and scrambled it like my morning eggs. It feels like we missed Spring completely, shut up in our homes only venturing out for necessities, and now Summer is evaporating as quickly as the morning dew on a hot day. But hey, we have been barbequing more this summer than we have for the past couple of years combined, so that’s good! Also, little by little, I am crossing things off of my old to-do list…the one I started before the herniated disc interrupted everything but the most basic tasks. This may not be the summer we thought we’d have, but overall it isn’t so bad.
Becoming Angela 