Social Distancing Diaries: Day 371

Dear Diary

7:15am: The first day of Spring! The signs of spring—birds chirping, crocuses blooming, trees budding, and a wood pecker trying to attract the wood pecker mate of his dreams by drilling loudly on the roof of my house! Good morning!

Here’s the bottle of water I found. Would you drink it??

7:40am: I chose to forgive the Lonely Heart Wood Pecker and got on with my run. It may be the first day of spring but it was a frigid 27 degrees this morning!

9:00am: Since Eden missed school yesterday for the college visit she had a Biology test to make up. I offered moral support.

10:15am: Lily and I left for a morning of errands (which stretched into the afternoon). First stop was a delightful little shop on Main St. in Mount Joy called Cypress and Myrtle. This beautiful boutique features thoughtfully crafted baby gifts, home decor, dishes, jewelry, and so much more! And now it also carries Naptime Inspirations! Do check it out sometime!

Beautiful baby gifts abound at Cypress and Myrtle. Now carrying Naptime Inspirations’ bibs!

Then it was off to the mall, a place that I have been to maybe twice since last year. Malls have become depressing places this year. I know many of them were on the decline before the pandemic and I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, in recent years malls have lost the appeal they once held for me. I no longer desire to wander the mall just browsing and buying. I find most of the clothes to be cheaply made an over-priced. And, as confirmed once again today, I have become a Fuddy Duddy regarding fashion. I was never a fashionista! But observing the fashion trends from my middle-aged vantage point results in quite a bit of mocking. On the other hand, I have a certain nostalgia about malls. I was far from a teen mall rat but it was always a location to go with friends and family. Lily so helpfully pointed out to me today that my life was probably at least half over. I do have some good genes for longevity and my grandma is currently 98 years old, but in all likelihood, I’m on the downhill slide. Then I think she felt bad and told me I’ll probably live to 170. Unlikely, but I appreciate the effort!

Back to the mall—I was very surprised at how busy it was today! It felt almost pre-COVID! There were definitely shuttered storefronts and many food kiosks were gone, but there were a fair number of people there. The smaller stores are practicing social distancing by limiting the number of people allowed inside at one time. So if you do have to go, allow yourself some extra time to wait in line. The parking lot was crazy full! But then I realized I chose to park near the vaccination clinic (held in a defunct department store space). I was happy to see the crowds going there! Looking forward to the day when I get to go! We lunched at Qdoba which wasn’t crowded at all. PSA: They offer a mini burrito bowl. It’s perfect for lunch!

When we returned to the car I found a fully intact, unopened plastic bottle of water lying just under my car. I picked it up and took it home. Lily was appalled. What should I do with this bottle of water?? In the very least I saw no reason to leaving it laying in the parking lot. I could dump the water onto a plant and recycle the bottle. But I could also drink the water. It hasn’t been opened. What would you do??

3:15: After returning home for a short time I headed back out, this time with Eden. She had arranged a walk date with some young women from church. So I dropped her off and went on my own walking date with my friend Molly. We covered 4.4 miles and many more topics of conversation. Time flies when you are chatting with a friend! Walking has been my social outlet this year and I think it’s one pandemic adaptation that I will continue! As delightful as that was, I have to admit that my legs were in need of a rest this evening! After my supper of leftovers I laid down on the couch and fell asleep for another 10 minute nap. This post-supper nap is becoming a Thing!

Lily “vlogs” in the car. I pledge not to delete the video she took.

If you’ve been keeping track, this is the 7th installment of the Social Distancing Diaries Reboot. It’s been fun to re-engage with readers again in this format but it does take me about an hour a day to write these posts. So I won’t be continuing with the daily posts. I try to write for the blog once a week, but Life sometimes gets in the way. Look for new posts on Thursdays. It’s been helpful for me to reflect a bit on the changes of this past year. I hope that you have done so as well. As our Pastor Adam has so aptly encouraged in his current sermon series, let’s allow the events of this year to change us for the better. It’s undoubtedly been a difficult year. Some of you have experienced tremendous grief and loss that won’t ever be glossed over. Despite the physical distance between us we need to support one another, rejoice with one another, and mourn with one another. If you read this blog please know that you can reach out to me, whether or not we’ve ever met.