2020 The year the world was cancelled

Thus far in our state most of what was "normal" has been cancelled.  There will be no dance recitals. No graduations. No proms. No church services. No non essential businesses open. No face to face banking. No proms. No school for the rest of this school year. (this probably impacts us the least as we homeschool) No Scouts. No encampment. No Coming of Age in person for Elisabeth. No work for my wife and my son until goddess knows when.  Probably no camping as the campgrounds we typically use are only allowing RV campers among their many restrictions.

At different times, some or all of us mourn the loss of the normal.  My wife had to drive to a store to do a socially distanced pick up of an order.  The trip did not even involve exiting the car and my daughter begged to go.  Weather hasn't cooperated for much outdoor walking as it has either been rainy, snowing or we have had high winds (high enough for warnings)

However I am resolute about making the best of what we have. /We have each other and are blessedly, very thankfully, healthy thus far. We have good music of many genres to listen to and lift our spirits.  We have humor, books, games and time to enjoy each other more deeply than we usually do.  We have family dinners and enough food to let us linger with enjoyment at the table. We have enough DIY projects in our old house to keep me busy for a loooong time. I have been organizing family game nights, movie nights, and with summer looking very different I am thinking of social distance fun that we can do.  Bike rides, cooking supper over our fire pit to pretend we are camping, finding a drive in movie. (the 2 youngest have never been to one and what is more perfect social distancing than a drive in??) We are hoping to put in a veggie garden- we are checking the amount of light our fairly shady yard gets. (I don't  think the community garden will be open this year) We are keeping a journal of what this time is like. We are being careful with spending because it is so unclear how this will all play out financially.

I try not to worry, but of course it creeps in from time to time.  I find myself worrying for my kids who should be stretching their wings and trying new things and instead are hunkered at home.  I worry that this will be a long term life change and not a blip on the time line.  I have one confirmed case of Covid-19 that I know of in the apartment community where I work.  Due to social distancing and the precautions our staff has taken for a long time I am not worried that I will contract this at work.  But at some level I worry about either my wife or I contracting it because we are over 60 which places us in the lower end of the high risk zone. 

But worry can not and must not consume us.  Life still must be lived because that is the way we cherish our days, and make memories to sustain us.  Tonight we are buying movie popcorn from a local theater and having a family movie night at home.  Be safe everyone! Make memories! Live as fully as you can.