This last Saturday was a gorgeous day. Last minute, i said to my husband, "Why don't we ride our bikes to DC?" (We live in Maryland, just over the district line). So we loaded up with water and food and my phone with a map, and rode our bikes all the way downtown on bike paths! No cars anywhere. We rode the (Somewhat) new Anacostia River Walk trail--8 miles through Southeast DC and it was lovely. 18 miles in total for the ride. It was so great to be outside and seeing sights!. Lots of people were outside riding too, most without masks and it felt okay since it now appears it's impossible to get the virus if you're vaccinated (Which we are) and you just pass someone on the street.. Everyone was in a good mood. We stopped at a small park in DC on Capitol Hill to rest and there were lots of small groups of people congregating in the park, mostly unmasked too. It was so nice to see people gathering and feel like it was okay, not scary. It really felt like things were slowly returning to normal.. Then we rode our bikes to Union station to get the Metro home--here's the photo. Everything closed! I couldn't believe it. Usually Union Station is hopping at 3PM on a Saturday. But all the restaurants and stores were closed, even the lights were off. A lot of the shops looked like they'd gone out of business too. I guess some parts of DC haven't opened yet! I suspect in many places the "return" to normal is going to be rough. It's not just about taking our masks off and being able to go out, but making sure that people have jobs and places to live. I think it's going to be a long haul. I don't think we're out of the woods at all. But for a few hours, last Saturday, it felt like we were--and that was a great relief.
May 19, 2021
Yesterday I emailed my ex husband of 40 years (divorced for 40 years) that meeting him was a lucky day for me and thanking him for being my friend for all the ups and downs (feuds and fusses) of these years (He will think I have been diagnosed with a terminal illness :) ) I have made sure lately to tell my closest friends and also the people who I have known throughout my life how glad I am to know them, how they have enriched my life. I have come to see (and I may not have done this without the enforced solitude and contemplation of COVID) how our lives are shaped by what might be considered the minor characters, that we are enriched, and protected by all the various people (not necessarily children, parents, lovers) that we meet, travel with throughout time.
December 24, 2020