If only I had known … that today was going to be the last day of what I knew as “normal.”
That I could possibly have made my last phone call to order my Corliss wrap, with melba in and melba out, from the Village Cafe across the street.
That it would be the last hug, or the last friendly smile at the grocery store.
When I walked out today I didn’t realize how different things would be from this point on. That my next step in would feel completely foreign, suspicious and cold.
It might have been my last Sunday afternoon of freely walking down to browse my favorite consignment store. Searching for treasures, trying on clothes and catching up with my friends in the shop.
No more looking through the peephole of the P.O. Box at the post office, or moving forward to the counter without an invitation to do so.
It could have been my last embrace on the sidewalk, and grasp of a good friend’s hand, just because.
Was it truly the last day of the comfortable life I once knew?
Yes, indeed, I know there will be a new life, a new way and a new “normal” made. Full of zoom calls and video lessons, plexi-glass and explicit social instruction.
It will be filled with talking outside of fences instead of within, while peering over the tops of our masks.
But maybe there is a glimmer of a silver lining. An open window filled with long dinner hours, long walks and long talks that our busy schedules always seemed to overpower just a few short weeks ago.
Less busy, less smog, less spending …
Will we choose to carry some of this slowdown into the future with us? Oh, lord, I hope so …
Patience, humor and each other ...
There are whispers of a quiet summer spent by the lake, with hopes that some forms of travel will resume for visits to those we love and vacations that we have already planned.
I have prayers for the hopeless, penniless and worried, as I wonder whether or not our leaders will get this figured out.
I have faith that this too shall pass, and once again we will be back on our way with a different look, a better system and a lesson learned, perhaps.
Is it possible? It could be the start of a long road ahead …
And to the class of 2020 … when you walked down the steps of your high school that day, unknowingly you were being pushed into the arms of a great big world of uncertainty … far, far away from all that you have known. I am optimistic that at the end you will find peace with what you lost, and a comfort from the love and support of your family and your friends.
But above all, I hope that you find a contentment within yourself.
If only you had known …
With love,
Kate
0
