It is the spontaneous little moments of beauty or relaxation or connection that make me happy these days. Taking my daughter to the lake and watching her play in the sand, finding a beautiful snail, seeing my 1 year old's smile when I give her macaroni. It is also the brief little vacations from my life that give me joy. Watching TV after the kids are all in bed. Going on a drive. Reading an article. Scrolling through social media and getting a peak into other people's lives. I am like a parched desert, soaking up every drop of happiness that I can find and trying to make it last.
September 3, 2020
One of the initial skills that my first grade teacher instilled in her students was the ability to “line up” quickly and quietly. No pushing. No shoving. No breaking in line. Some 60 years later, these lessons have come rushing back to me because…well…lines are a part of everyday life during COVID-19. Since March 2020, we have braved long, sluggish voting lines, registration lines, vaccination lines, toilet paper lines and store checkout lines alongside other masked and (hopefully) appropriately distanced individuals. My fellow earthlings and I have now become professional queuers who understand more than ever before the physical, social and psychological forces at play each time we shuffle through seemingly interminable lines. And as Mrs. A preached to me decades ago, proper queue etiquette is defined by courtesy, tolerance and patience.
March 12, 2021