Sunny skies, snowy thoughts

Weird thing to mention in September, but I had a weird little flurry of excitement about our family Christmas get-away get-together today! I guess this year, for most of us, has been about reconnecting with the things that we had to miss out on during the fun lockdown times, be they sports, events, sports events or otherwise. For me, not seeing my sisters often enough was a real pisser, and it saddens me still that they missed out on all that Mathew time when he was of an age when they could really connect with him and watch him changing. Best not to dwell on all that, though, and just be thankful that it’s in the past.
And, weirdly, for the first time, I am starting to believe that they are in the past. I know the virus is still around, and still causing problems, and still one small mutation away from kicking our arses irretrievably, but I am allowing myself to start to believe that we are, sort-of, getting on top of it. I have no doubt cases will rise in the coming months, and I have no doubt there will be a return of restrictions, but I don’t think they will be anywhere close to how they were back in January 2021. I may be wrong, of course. This time last year we were all thinking the worst might be behind us, and were all daring to look forward with hope, because we couldn’t comprehend, nor did we wish to acknowledge, what might be on the way, because it seemed too terrible a prospect to cope with. This year we have vaccines, and lots of natural immunity among people who have recovered already, and the lessons learned from last year.
So, anyway, back to Christmas. I thought about it today because someone asked if we’ll be open for bookings for family holidays (we’re not, by the way, it’s residents only in December) and it made me think about our own plans, which of course were postponed from 2020. I’m not wishing the time away, and I hate myself for mentioning it when it’s 20+ Celsius and feeling decidedly Summery, but it’s nice to have it to look forward to, and to feel confident that it might actually happen.

RC 10-9-21