Yes, this time of year does feel different this year. I love summer and am always sad to see summer end and autumn begin. Last fall I did a lot of hiking in NH with my friend and my dog, Teddy. We decided to tackle 4000 footers, an awesome undertaking, and hiked 4 of them. The picture above is from our 2nd 4000 footer, and really captures some of the beautiful fall scenery we saw. We had fun in spite of the really hard work, and felt proud of our accomplishment. There was a sense of freedom and adventure that we could take for granted. This year, I don't feel a sense of freedom and adventure. I feel much more apprehension and worry. I am worried about a second wave of the Corona virus hitting. I am worried about another quarantine. I wonder what it will be like facing all of this as winter approaches. At least when this all started, there was summer to look forward to. I worry about not being able to have social distance gatherings as it gets cold. I am also really worried about the upcoming election. I was horrified when our current president won 4 years ago, and can't imagine what 4 more years might look like. I am also worried at the distrust and confusion that has been created about the upcoming election and voting. There is so much confusion! I never look forward to the end of summer and this year, I am anticipating fall and winter with much more dread than usual. I certainly don't have the sense of fun and adventure that was so present last year.
September 3, 2020
I am back to living in fear that something will happen to my family and friends. And at the same time I feel just used to not going anywhere. Of course it doesn't feel safe to go into Central London or take a long train ride. I wish we could go away - but I know it's just not in the cards. It is also making me think about what I will feel comfortable with comes Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Will I not go out for Sukkot or Simchat Torah so I will be able to fly right after? Also the testing brings on anxiety. Will I do it in the right time? What if I test positive and have to change all my plans? I just read an article about a family who took their PCR test 15 minutes too early and couldn't fly --- 15 MINUTES. And then they keep on talking about getting rid of tests or at the very least lowering the price. I just feel overwhelmed reading the news...
August 19, 2021