The joys of the past few months have been surprisingly many. Zoom meetings are really helpful and easier to get to. Using the phone to connect to people in my life is easier than I thought. The anxieties of the earlier part of the pandemic have lifted a bit as the habits of avoiding exposure to the virus have become second nature. Being quarantined with my wife has been enjoyable. As part of the wider world, to see the enormous interest in Racial Justice with the “reckoning of racial injustice” has been validating. I have been fortunate to spend some time with my grandchild and her parents because of the need of the their family to escape Brooklyn for a time. They escaped to our house on the Cape for a time and we have been able to be with them, practicing social distancing. We have an outside deck which has allowed for some social activity with other couples. It has been a joy to have the time and access to get to Shabbat services more easily. Why it is easier in the time of Corona I really can’t say since the services have always been available on the net.
The challenges include, and importantly, not being able to hug our almost 3 yr old granddaughter. Life is restricted and sometimes seems a bit too small. Being unable to go to stores has been challenging though this is clearly a first world challenge. It has also been challenging to see my former colleagues in health care struggling so with the burdens of the pandemic.
