Feelings of 'Normalcy' in Uneasy Times

I cannot believe it has been over a year since the world shut down. While things are slowly opening back up and the fear and sadness ease, life has been very strange since last March. This weekend was the first time things have felt 'normal.' 

Saturday I slept in the latest I have in years. I am honestly embarrassed to say what time I woke up... 3 PM. I am still in shock. I woke up feeling very rested, but as soon as I saw the clock I felt guilty for wasting the day. Unnecessary guilt, but guilt nonetheless. To compensate, I loaded B and Perry into the car, headed to Chipotle for takeout, and then scooted over to Presque Isle where we ate at a picnic table. It was a bit chilly, but the sun felt so good. We walked Perry along the shore and skipped stones. Brandon won the skipping contest by sending a stone 15 skips! For a few minutes, I felt like a kid without a care in the world.

Sunday I awoke at a reasonable hour - 9 am. Made coffee, tidied up, and watered the plants. It was rainy in the morning which was the perfect weather to curl up on the couch. The rain was a surprisingly nice contrast to Saturday's sunny weather. By 2pm the skies cleared up a bit and we made our way to the movie theatre for the first time since December 2019 when we went to see Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker. I could not believe it had been over a year since the last time I was in a movie theatre. B and I used to see a movie at least once a month before Covid hit. We saw the new Bob Odenkirk movie, Nobody. Where are my Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad fans?! The movie was great! Funny, action-packed, and well cast. Bob Odenkirk was so good! I hope he makes more movies very soon. After the movie, we grabbed dinner at TGI Fridays. The restaurant was right across from the theatre and mozz sticks sounded good. We split a burger and cajun alfredo dish. Both were pretty good. After dinner, we headed home and started watching The Big Bang Theory from season 1. I forgot what a great show it is!

As far as weekends go, it sounds pretty average but compared to how I live now, leaving the house two days in a row is kind of a big deal. Since working from home began on March 17, 2020,  I just haven't left the house much. Not to sound like a hermit, but it's kinda true. I usually have one big outing to Target or Wegmans or a friend's house about once a week. I went to brunch last weekend for the first time in forever. But having such an outdoor, active weekend takes me back to life before Covid and it felt good. I am so excited to spend more time outside at Presque Isle and my own backyard this spring and summer. I have some fun plans for the backyard this summer. I just want to be outside as much as possible. 

This past year will never be forgotten. While things slowly return to what we are sure to call the new normal, it is not to say we want everything to go back to the way it was. We learned so much. There was immense heartbreak, but in the cracks, light forced its way through. I hope we can hug again soon and I hope we never forget the lessons we have learned these past 12 months.