Feeling Normal...

 We live in interesting times. Say what you want about life in 2020 and beyond, they are--in a word--interesting. Case in point...having my temperature taken.

I have been sheltered from most of the many things other people have had to deal with for the past eighteen months. Before covid, I was happily working at home and we didn't do a lot of extracurricular activities. Or, in other words, we didn't get out much. Sure, I'd do a convention or work a second job or even be in a play now and again. Many times, when participating in those activities, when a person was sick, they would made a determination on whether or not they were "too sick" to go to work or a convention or when in a play.

Boy, have times changed.

Last year, my seasonal gig during Halloween was canceled...bummer. Other shows kept on, but not mine. Also, the convention in which I help organize and run was canceled...bummer, again. Plus, many theaters simply closed down and so I wasn't in a play. 

This year, I haven't done a play, but I did go to FanX and Seance at Lagoon's Frightmares started up again. It seems, just saying you're not sick or if you are sick, you're well enough to work is no longer good enough. You have to have proof. 

I've had my temperature taken--and taken my own temperature--more this past month than I have in the past decade. And even with all these precautions, illness still finds a way. We are never 100% safe...something we should always remember.

These of course, are mild inconveniences. Making sure I'm not running a fever is a small price to pay to work and to attend a convention. I wonder if this is the way it will always be from here out.

Time will tell.

A Touch Of Normalcy...At The Home Depot

 You've seen them, and even though you may think they're gauche, obnoxious, or tacky, you've seen them. They appear before holidays like Christmas and Halloween.

They're those inflatables people have in their front yards.

I can't think of other holidays, other than Halloween and Christmas that have inflatables, but I'm sure you can find them to celebrate Valentine's Day, Independence Day, maybe even Arbor Day (if that's a thing anymore...). Point is, if someone will buy it, someone will make it.

It's the American way.

The problem is, there's not a lot of things that make you feel like celebrating anymore. It seems like we're constantly being beat up by others and by ourselves. It feels like--to me--there are forces out there trying to make us feel this way, to feel defeated, to feel exhausted, to feel down.

So, when my wife and I entered The Home Depot last week to see if they had any generators because our power had been out for several day and we were trying to save two fridges of food (they didn't have any, by the way--we were hours late...), we looked up and saw something that made us feel like celebrating, made us--temporarily--forget all the crap we're getting shoveled upon our heads day after day.

We saw those big inflatables.

And they were fricking cool!

Like everyone else, we have no idea what Halloween will be like this year. I don't think many thought we'd even have to worry about Halloween when all this hit the fan back in March. But, here we are--six weeks out. Sure, the inflatables are expensive, but for us on that day without power, they represented a touch of normalcy in an incredibly abnormal world.

We didn't buy one (or several...). After all, we'd just have to put it on a moving truck and cart it north with everything else, and even if we did want to rush home and blow it up, we'd have had to string an extension cord from our neighbor's house to do it. Still...it might have been worth it, even at that, to feel good about something once again.

And For The Briefest Of Moments...Things Felt "Normal"

You may not be able to tell from this picture, but there was a moment today when life felt almost normal.

Normal...

What an odd word. It wasn't odd before, but it feels odd now.

My wife and I needed to do some shopping. Thankfully, in no small part due to an army of truck drivers, warehouse workers, and grocery store employees, there was stuff for us to buy, food to sustain us for at least another week or two. That, in and of itself, is a miracle.

I wonder if I'll ever not consider a store full of food a miracle ever again.

No, the store was not packed. It was mid-morning, not the height of busy shopping, usually. And yes, some shelves were bare, but hearing horror stories of people's shopping experiences lately, I was glad to see the store had so much stuff. I took a picture from inside the store because at that moment, with us involved in such a normal--even mundane--activity, it felt like stuff we used to do when the world made sense.

I hope I experience more of this feeling of normalcy in the future. My heart hopes for it; my head says it'll probably never happen--returning to the "normal" we once had. In reality, a new day is never the same as the day preceding it. It's always different, just not so different.

I pray for our country and our world. Billions are scared, confused, frustrated, and just plain tired. I also pray for strength to see us through this dark time. God be with us.