Last weekend I went to a neighborhood virtual cider tasting with my husband. Our daughters bounced around the house randomly popping in to ask us if they could watch Kids YouTube … PLEASE! Our daughter Sydney leaned on me for a minute and waved at the Zoom squares in front of her. Then, she plugged her nose and sank straight down, acting like she was scuba diving off screen. Only eight, she’s had a lot of experience on Zoom in the past year.
There was a neighbor on this virtual Happy Hour who said something that really resonated with me. He said, “After being part of an experiment that none of us volunteered for, we won’t take regular life for granted again.” He wasn’t spouting conspiracy theories, just sharing that all the disconnection of quarantining at home makes you super appreciative of the small regular stuff we often take for granted.
YESSSS.
I love my little family bird nest, but I never realized how much I love the vibe of people out and about, interacting and connecting. This is the background music of life. The simple little things that you never knew counted: people jogging by, two friends outside a coffee shop, pedestrians on a crosswalk and chit chat at school pick-up. Normal life is vibrant.
Little parts of normal are coming back and making the world feel right side up again. As I type this, our daughters are back to school fulltime. I celebrated by writing them little notes and tucking them in their lunchboxes. I went full-on dork mode with messages like, “Mommy and Daddy love you.” “You’re a shining light. Be sure and shine your light on others today.”
Normal is back with Summer Camp sign-up time. I’m cautiously optimistic and excited for a normal-feeling summer. Even the often headline-grabbing, alarm-sounding national news is starting to talk about the ways in which vaccinated grandparents can see their grandkids again. I even saw some grandparent/grandchild hugs on the news that made me tear up.
And just in time for the cool feeling of normal, Asheville weather is so beautiful this week with the sun beaming. The days are staying lighter longer—especially after we Spring the clocks Forward this weekend. I’m not going to mind that hour lost this year. Things are coming back to life—just in time for spring.
Let’s celebrate regular life.
Have a question or comment for me? Email me at SandraB@MacaroniKid.com
Sandra Bilbray is a nationally published writer, positive human, and publisher of Asheville Macaroni Kid. She lives in Asheville with her husband, twin girls and two dogs.
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