What a Long Strange Trip it's been

 “I think we all remember where we were when we heard the news (of the pandemic) because we are all still there,” said Steven Colbert in his opening monologue last night. “It’s the one year anniversary of the first time I Lysol-ed a banana!”  Too funny.  

With the anniversary hitting us in the face, it’s hard not to reflect on all that’s transpired.  So here’s a run through of some memorable moments of mine from March 12, 2020 to March 12, 2021.

I think I spent the first two or three months with real anxiety, physical as well as psychological, something I had not experienced before. Things were especially bad in New York. My two daughters moved back from NYC to Long Island, along with two cats. We were thrust together, everyone working remotely, eating meals together, exercising, philosophizing and just genuinely surprised that we were all together again.

In April my daughter defended her dissertation from her childhood bedroom remotely.  She could have worn her pajama pants. In May and June we celebrated all our birthdays together, the four of us, ordering specialty food for each birthday outdoors in the backyard. I planted and gardened obsessively, because it was the one thing that seemed normal and joyful. 

My husband retired from his school psychologist job at the end of June.  His colleagues organized a drive-through retirement party for him in front of our house, with balloons, champagne and lots of gag gifts.  The next day I organized a surprise Zoom retirement extravaganza with lots of colleagues, family members and friends.  That’s how you did  retirement in 2020.

In August we took a week’s trip to Vermont, the state with the lowest Coronavirus cases, and loved every minute of our time. We hiked, we swam, we dined outside, and we were truly happy there. We stayed at the West Mountain Inn, a peaceful haven from all things scary.

In September through December, I taught an English/writing class remotely.  I was relieved that I was able to navigate blackboard and teach synchronously on Zoom.  We did a lot of writing and sharing, and it was so odd to be teaching students from my dining room table. I used breakout rooms for small-group sharing as well as individual writing conferences. While I so missed the in-person experience, it felt good to connect with my students and be immersed in preparing meaningful classes, and spend time commenting on their writing. 

The day that Joe Biden officially won, four days after Election Day, was a gloriously beautiful day here on Long Island.  It was 70 degrees in November with the strongest sun streaming down. Joe Biden had won, finally.  We opened champagne and neighbors stopped by and we just sprawled on the lawn, happy and relieved. 

Everyone hoped the beginning of 2021 would be the beginning of positive news. But then January 6th happened, and there was also a new spike in people getting Covid. February brought more snow than we’ve seen in New York in years. Every other day was a storm, and it was freezing. 

But vaccines have arrived and we have been able to get vaccinated. And because of that, my husband and I were able to visit his sick mother in Florida. One daughter moved back to the city in July, and my other one is moving back to NYC in April.  So maybe, just maybe, things are looking up.

March 12 – March 12 – what a long strange trip it’s been.