It’s hard to believe what a crazy year we all had. I’m waxing nostalgia on this Covid year because this week last year all of my son’s schools shut down. And now this week, they are opening 5 days a week again. Looking back on the last 12 months, I think at first we were all enjoying the time at home; not having to get up at 6:30am to get to school or work, all we had to do in the morning was open our computers and start learning or working (obviously nobody in our home were essential workers). But as the months progressed, I observed the enjoyment of being in one’s pajamas all day morph into “I miss my friends”, ending with total Covid fatigue. While I believe that children are much more resilient than we give them credit, it was a tough year to deal with. And while the true consequences of last year are still processing, I can say at least one kid in the house changed from an extrovert to being pensive and quiet. I’m sort of banking on full-time school and the full-time routine to bring back the joyful spark, but then again that could just be the emotional ups and downs of adolescence. I’m hoping for the latter.
For me, it was hard to watch dates go through the year with no pomp or circumstance. We missed two graduations: 8th grade and High School, Track season, a trip to California, Freshmen orientations, no summer travel to the beach, no trips to Grandparents. It was all just one big bummer, full of starts and stops, because by the end of last Fall I lost almost no motivation to do anything at all. Since then, it’s just been doing the stuff to survive. And that is not like me at all. I often enjoy looking back at years thinking about what I’ve accomplished because I really don’t like to lose time. When I look at the year, I feel like my biggest accomplishment is that I completed 50 jigsaw puzzles.
And here we are with 2021. I ask myself these two questions:
What could I look forward to?
I’d like to bring back some of the staples of my life: art, writing, gardening, traveling, bike riding, swimming in a pool. And then also getting vaccinated.
What am I grateful for?
I’m grateful that my family physically all made it. We are all on the road to getting vaccinated, and while life is not going back to normal just yet, there is a glimmer of hope. The light in the end of the tunnel is glowing brighter and brighter every day for me.
So it’s been a couple months for me to try to get my groove back this year, but I picked up some seeds to start the growing season in an attempt to crush the fatigue. And I don’t think there isn’t a better example of hope than watching my garden come to life.
Bring it on, Spring. Bring it on.
Kate Minear Sorenson 