Covid Sucks....Just Sayin'

 It's not just Covid that sucks. It's this whole year. There, I said it. 

Last month I was all excited to go visit one of my closest friends, a friend whom I met in college 20+ years ago. (Wow! That makes me sound old.) We don't see each other as often as I'd like, but when we do we pick up right where we left off. The night before my flight I started to get anxious. I never get anxious over flying. Never. But I continued to pack my bags, putting aside my worry. Friday I left school right when the bell rang so I could race to the airport. But the closer I got to the airport, the more nervous I got. I wasn't nervous about the flight itself. I was nervous about wearing a mask for hours, being in a confined plane with people breathing the same air. Something I've never worried about before. The closer I got to the airport the more I prayed, "Lord, if this isn't Your will then close the doors." Well, guess what? He did. Technically He broke the door but it's all the same. After 3 delays, 2 announcements that I'd miss connecting flights and a call that my BIL had been taken to the hospital for liver failure I knew I wasn't supposed to go visit my friend. When I went to the podium to cancel my flight, I asked the ticket counter guy (Is that their official title??) why there were so many delays. He said, "The door of the plane is broken and we can't figure out what's going on with it." See? God literally broke the door instead of just closing it.

Another reason Covid sucks? The holidays! I'm huge into tradition and family and memories and all things Christmas, starting with Thanksgiving. To be honest, Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday but it kicks off the Christmas season so I like it for that reason. This year I didn't get to see my parents. (In fact, I haven't seen them since January and the boys haven't seen them since last Summer.) Then Thanksgiving was just odd. I am not naturally a hugger but Rob's family is. There weren't hugs exchanged and we kind of kept our distance from each other. As soon as the meal was over and we cleaned up, Rob, the boys and I got back in the car and headed home. I thought about early Black Friday shopping but none of the stores were open. (I'm good with that because those poor retail people need a day off!) Overall, it was just an odd day filled with good food.

The closer we get to Christmas, the more things get cancelled and the more paranoid I get about quarantining. Don't get me wrong. I am not concerned in the least about getting Covid. I'm worried about missing out because I have to quarantine. I am so thankful that the students were able to come back to school after the Thanksgiving week because this is my favorite time of the year to teach. That being said, I don't want to do anything to jeopardize missing out on what's left of the Christmas festivities because of Covid. Already, all work Christmas parties were cancelled. The boys don't want to do Santa pictures because they will be separated from him by plexiglass. Our church is doing a drive-thru Christmasville this year when in years past the kids have been able to sit on Santa's lap after riding a little train, enjoying the petting zoo and watching the Christmas Story come alive. This year we won't get to see my parents once again and I'm sure it'll just be the 4 of us on Christmas day. We've only done that once before and I wasn't a huge fan. Like I said, I like family and memories at Christmas, which includes Christmas day itself.

But it is what it is. Someday we'll look back on this year as a year of historical events....Covid, an unprecedented hurricane season, Kamala Harris becoming the first female Vice President. But right now I see 2020 as the year nothing went as planned. It is what it is. Bah Humbug!