COVID, week 41 + 7 years in these parts
Greetings from the thick of winter break.
For the first time in many years, we won’t be meeting up with my parents and my siblings and their families in a tropical, international location during the Christmas/New Year timeframe because … airborne, respiratory pandemic. It’s unfathomable to me that I last saw my family not in the midwest last summer but in the Dominican Republic, in January, nearly a year ago now.
Praise be for technology that can reduce the gap and allow for near-effortless connection at any time of day or night. It’s not the same, of course, but it’s better than nothing.
Today also marks our seven-year Californiversary — the day we moved here from Chicago! — which also seems similarly unfathomable. Seven years already?!
And to “celebrate” our Californiversary, I… ran in my zipcode/adjacent and ARP, distanced and masked this morning. Later swam at the Y with my kids. And then sat in line (in my car, with the kids) for nearly 2 hours for a ham (that I don’t even eat!) for Christmas. I don’t know what I envisioned for the day, but I’m guessing some part of that was probably not included.
I’ve spent very little time on my computer since the girls’ break began, so I’ll keep things succinct here and wish you and yours a safe and memorable holiday season, however you celebrate. So much can be said about the now 323,000+ people our country has tragically and needlessly lost to COVID over the past 41 weeks — 23,200+ of those individuals here in California, and specifically, 616 in SCC.
That’s a lot of heartache and a lot of empty chairs this week and next, for which (and for whom) no words can suffice.
encountering new, green grass growing mid-run, in areas that are usually fairly dry, brown, and dead, also reminds me of the hope/renewal cycle.