Friends,
We hope you’re having one of those Fridays where you could be in a car commercial, because that’s just how free and open you feel to life’s possibilities.
Carrie here. Today we’re thinking out loud: How are we bridging pre-covid times with today’s “beyond-the-panic” times?
Fall 2021 is definitely different from fall 2020, and we also have learned, I hope, from the summer of Delta. There are more tests now, there are vaccines now, and more science to understand how the virus is transmitted.
Still, though, the pandemic feels very present. Here are some ways I know it’s still here:
With loved ones who are not yet eligible for the covid vaccine and knowing that many continue to get sick, I know this is definitely not over.
In conversations with friends and family, some version of “when the pandemic is over” still hovers over my timelines and goal-setting. We will make that visit to meet that precious baby; we will take a loved one to that faraway destination they’ve always wanted to see; and we will crowdsurf at our favorite concert. That last one comes up in every conversation I have, as I’m sure you’d imagine.
The demand for covid tests outstrips supply.
And yet, as other world events continue to transpire and command our attention, it feels like the pandemic is becoming the extra layer of clothing to our days that we wear because it’s cold out. Right now, for me, that extra layer of clothing looks like this: taking covid tests, wearing masks and enjoying the outdoors as much as possible.
With some people vaccinated and others not, with some people more vulnerable and others not, how can we make this upcoming fall and winter (read: holiday season) better than last year?
Here’s my initial answer: Making plans for covid testing in advance of fill-in-the-blank situation, investing in ways to make the outdoors as palatable as possible, and trying to focus more on local news in my community.
Emily, your take?
Emily: I feel like I’m on a “new normal” seesaw. One day everything is back to normal, and then a minor cold leads to an anxiety spiral and cancelled plans out of COVID-caution. Or I’ll be going about my day, and then Zoom with a friend in Australia who is living in a version of March 2020. Or I’ll be chatting about travel plans to a colleague with small children and realize how we’re living in different worlds. Reminding myself to be empathetic to people’s unique situations and needs during this time feels important.
Water Cooler Convo
Carrie: Wow, Emily, the recent This American Life episode you recommended really sunk its teeth into me. I’m not sure if I’m chewing on it or it’s chewing on me.
Emily: I feel like Ira Glass would LOVE Unpacking?! ;)
Carrie: Has anyone read the new Sally Rooney book? I was trying to wait my turn at the library but I don't think I can hold out any longer.
Emily: Idea: Carrie, maybe you buy it and then send it to me after you’re done? Heh.
Carrie: Emily, any fall recipes to send us into the weekend? Or, music you’ve been enjoying?
Emily: I’ll take music for $200, Carrie. Greg and I went to a Lake Street Dive concert recently and the opener was Valerie June, here’s my favorite song of hers.
Carrie: Big fan of Lake Street Dive’s latest album, “Obviously” over here.
Alright dear readers, that’s a wrap. Send us your best recipes, your prediction for the pandemic’s ending and/or your hot-take on the links above. Thanks for joining us this week.
Your pals,
Carrie and Emily