2020 started out innocuously enough. I left my temporary work gig on Kwajalein in early January, came back to Huntsville and promptly flew out to Maui to visit my brother and daughter, ‘cause I work the mileage game ruthlessly. There were some jokes about Corona virus back then and maybe a nagging thought in the back of our lizard brains that it might be coming to the U.S. I took a trip to see my parents in February, again banking miles. We talked about the virus in Italy, and speculated that it could already be in the U.S. Then came March. I had a trip planned to Thailand and Malaysia and cancelled it at the.very.last.moment. And then. And then the world came crashing down. It was in the U.S. It was almost everywhere. A few countries (all island nations) shut down their borders hard and had zero reported cases of COVID-19. They are: Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Tokelau, Niue, Republic of Palau, Nauru, Kiribati, The Cook Islands and American Samoa. North Korea and Turkmenistan have reported zero cases of COVID-19, but I’m pretty sure they’re fibbing.
2020, and the beginning of 2021 has sucked for everyone. We were all locked down for a while, some harder than others. In the Philippines, since March 2020 and until today, children under the age of 15 have been required to remain in their residences at all times. Cock fighting pits are open though, per the Economist. Priorities.
We all got used to Zoom. When the person chairing the meeting asks, "Does anyone else have any questions?" The correct answer is "No". These became familiar phrases: You’re on mute. You’re still on mute. We can’t hear you. Can you unmute yourself? Or, you know you’re not on mute, right? And the most horrifying: Do you know your camera is on? Talking to you there, Jeffrey Toobin.
Everyone’s mental health has suffered, to varying degrees. We all knew remote learning is a poor substitute for in person class, no one needed to go through the experience to prove that point, yet so many teachers and students had to suffer through it all.
We’ve all binge watched something. Thanks to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and other platforms for cranking out some great shows and some unbelievably trashy stuff to while away the days, months and nearly a year at this point. I couldn’t make it through Tiger King, but 90 Day Fiancé amused me endlessly. Fun fact - Netflix is unavailable in only three countries and one ‘area’ - China, North Korea, Syria and Crimea.
People lost jobs. Others lost businesses. Many lost friends and family members. And here we are, nearly a year into this tragedy that the U.S. has so magnificently bungled.
You’ve either been locked down by yourself or with your family. I heard on a podcast that if you’ve been by yourself, you’ve longed for someone to be locked down with and if you’ve been with your family, you have fantasized about being by yourself. More than once, Gwyne and I have played the game of, “Why do you do it like that?” Hint. There are no winners in this game.
Then there’s the separation. Grandparents, parents, children, grand children, brothers, friends, well you get the idea. People haven’t been able to be in person with their people. To touch them. To hug them. Touch is important, and that’s something we’ve all been deprived of, in one way or another.
Masks. We’re all wearing them. Who thought masks could be such a conversation starter? Where did you get that mask? Nice mask! Ooof. I forgot my mask. Here’s my favorite. Thanks Andrea!
There’s also going to be some horrifying knock on effects. 45 states and DC have balanced budget requirements. Every state has lost tax revenues from businesses being shut down - all the restaurants, hotels and car rentals, to mention but a few, well, they all generate taxes that pay the salaries of police, firefighters, public transit workers and teachers. There is going to be a shortfall when it comes time for planning and submitting an annual budget. Without federal aid there will be massive cuts. How about the rent moratorium? Rent has been paused. It's been adding up, month after month, after month. How are folks going to pay the enormous sums due when it comes time to pay?
I’ve lived through the 60’s, the 70’s the 80’s the 90’s, the noughties, the teens and January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December of 2020. Every damn month of 2020, some of which seemed like an effin decade. Let’s throw in January and February of 2021 as well, why not?
But there is hope on the horizon. Spring is coming. It’s my favorite season. I love the sensation of rebirth and rejuvenation. The days (if you live in North America) are getting longer. It is (thankfully) warming up and I can put on a pair of shorts and get on my bike again. There are tiny buds on Maple trees. I saw a dandelion the other day.
The number of new infections, hospitalizations are trending down in the U.S. and worldwide. There are vaccines available to some demographics, with more availability to come in the near future. I was one of 45,000 that participated in the Johnson & Johnson phase 3 trial of their vaccine. I don’t know whether I received a shot of salt water or the vaccine. If it’s approved next week, the study provider will unblind me. If I got the saline, they’ll cross me over and give me the goods. Sometime later this year, I think there’s going to be a semblance of normalcy.
The other day, I put my big toe outside our front door, testing the weather to see if it was tolerable enough for another boring walk. It was, so I peeked out just a little more and saw this.
I sent that to my family and my brother just said, "It's a new day." That's how I've been feeling the last few weeks. Every day, closer whatever the new normal is going to be. Every day, one step closer to visiting friends, going to a restaurant and unfettered travel. Hang in there folks, we're getting there.
