Slice of Life: We Didn't Know 14 of 31
Today I stopped by Read. Reflect. Teach. to read the post What I Didn't Know which inspired today's post. Thank you for the inspiration.
It was good to get back out. We went at a time that wouldn't be crowded. Vaccines complete, it seemed that we could go celebrate a birthday. It had been a year since we had been out. A year since we had all gathered. It's not every day someone turns 70something. It seemed the time to go out.
A year ago was the last time we all got together. We cooked dinner at our house, but we had just been told schools would close by the governor; just a short time we were told. We were just hearing the virus was in the United States. We were just learning that there was concern about its spread. I remember having my dad over at the time and the entire family being extremely careful. It was obvious there was more going on than we realized.
We didn't know our world would be turned upside down.
At the time, we didn't know that would be the last time we would all be together for a year. It wouldn't be just the Fourth of July that would keep us apart, but also Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
We didn't know we would not only teach from home until spring break, but into the start of the next school year. We didn't know that it would be an entire year until we could attempt to bring all of the students back.
We didn't know that we wouldn't be in a grocery for many months. We didn't anticipate that toilet paper would become a commodity, that cleaners would be in high demand, and that bleach would become a hot item.
We didn't know we would reschedule a wedding from April only to find the next date selected would be even more of a challenge. There weren't any showers, no bachelor or bachelorette parties, and no indoor facility.
All those months ago, we didn't know we would learn to occupy ourselves at home. That in the months to come we would spend hour upon hour on our patios. That we would work puzzles and have family Zoom chats.
Hopefully a year from now we will be able to tell a new story, but time will tell. For a bit today, the world seemed a little normal.
It's March and I'm diving back into the March Slice of Life Challenge! Buckle in! This will be my 8th year joining the community (though I must confess to a two year break). Yep, some of the writing will be messy. Honestly, most of it will be messy. Thanks for stopping by. I'm excited to dive back into the madness. Thanks to Two Writing Teachers for hosting.
Your recollections of all we didn't know resonated deeply. Those glimmers of a distant past are sometimes just what we need to keep going. Thanks for sharing these beautiful reflections.
ReplyDeleteI know I feel a bit wiser about so many things I once took for granted.
DeleteYou are so right, this passed year has been quite a learning experience. Everything can be so different in a snap of time. My wife and I moved to South Korea in the summer of 2019. We knew we were sacrificing our regular family and friends meetings and celebrations but were hoping to still see some of our people once in a while. Not only have we not been able to go back home for visits, they cannot come here. We have learned to use video chats more than expected with children and grand-children. Let's hope you are also right and some normality will come back in our lives incessantly.
ReplyDeleteAlain, this pandemic has been difficult living in the same neighborhoods, cities, and state as our friends and family; I cannot imagine the challenges of living abroad at this time. Like you, we have mastered digital technologies for staying in touch and gathering together. I guess we will all have a new appreciation for getting together with friends and family in the years to come.
DeleteThank goodness for Thursday Night Family Zooms!!!! At least we could see everyone's faces and hear how they were coping. We got to watch Jordyn grow from a baby to a toddler (and take over our family Zooms) and watch Cassie "growing with Layne Ryan"!! It has helped to keep us involved with the family we love so much!!!
ReplyDelete