Smile-breaks
So good not to be the only one
It is so good to know I'm not alone, the only one talking to myself, procrastinating, watching the weeds grow. I got three thumbs up—not all from one person—on that last Smile-breaks, the one about lessons learned during the pandemic.
And—after I admitted talking to myself more, I started seeing articles about other people doing just that. No wonder it's so noisy outside! All that talking, words flying into the atmosphere. I bet the birds are wondering what's going on. Lucky birds. No pandemic for them. But better to be human, especially with new hopes for an end to this weird life-style.
Lately all the talk seems to be about vaccinations, and not just the talk to ourselves. When I went to pick up the mail yesterday a car pulled over to the curb next door, the driver rolled her window down and poked her head out. She asked my neighbor, who was watering her lawn, if she had gotten her vaccination yet. A long discussion followed about vaccines and where to get them, and how, and, "Does your arm hurt?"
Apparently it did, but "not that much" except "I slept on it last night, shouldn't have done that." Around the states, conversations fly about hours waiting in line before getting a shot and much glee about getting poked in the arm—not once, but twice. Glee about the world coming back to normal—soon. Glee to see light at the end of the pandemic charts.
With hope for an end to it all, it's not as hard to sit alone or "in your bubble," waiting this out. It almost seems normal to hook the mask loops around your ears as you get out of the car or leave the house, and it's well worth the trouble to stand a little way away from each other while talking through our masks over the distance. Granted, it's a bit of an effort fur us who are naturally soft-voiced, but hey, we're learning to project.
Pandemic's still in control, but looks like it's starting to back down—if you don't count the mutations. Huge thanks to the scientists for their hard work, smart brains and innovative thinking. Huge thanks to the organizations coordinating the testing and vaccinating efforts. Hugest thanks to the healthcare and essential workers, for bravely doing their jobs, exposing themselves to this awful thing. Together, we'll beat the mutations, I'm sure.
When it's all over, what will we do differently? Anything? Everything? I wonder how much we'll keep talking out loud to ourselves. Or maybe you whisper? Will we keep on procrastinating as much? Take as many walks? Listen to the silence for a few uninterrupted minutes? Will I still get my groceries delivered? Do less shopping online? Amazon, beware! Will I go out to visit my family and friends more than I ever did before? Will I drive an electric car?
You're thinking, "Where the heck did that come from?" Well, if I go out shopping and visiting people and taking road trips and all that, I'll have to consider the amount of gasoline fumes I'm putting in the air and that might make me think about getting out of my gas-powered car and getting an electric one, possibly?
A whole new world it will be. Our houses are cleared of all that stuff we went through and organized, gave away, threw out during the boring pandemic days. Silence is suddenly a thing to be treasured. Hustle, bustle isn't so necessary after all. Family, friends are way more important, not to be taken for granted.
As I was saying, it's really good to know I'm not alone—and neither are you. Out of sight maybe, but never out of mind. Love flows through the air. . .
Stay well – keep smiling.
