Today was Lisa’s birthday. We’re both of that age where unless it ends in a 5 or a 0 we’d rather shun the public recognition. Still, an appropriate occasion for a night out, a good dinner, hanging out with close friends. Of course none of those things are allowed right now - so I feel bad for Lisa, and feel bad for myself to be able to pull off something adequately celebratory.
We did what we could - and actually had our best night of take-out since isolation started 4 weeks ago, a string of Gibsons to keep us distracted and a nice Zoom session with some of our closest friends. It was nice but the starkness of it will likely make it one of those birthdays committed to memory for nothing else but the disconnects it contained.
How can we celebrate in times like these? Graduations cancelled, birthdays and anniversaries limited to immediate family - or maybe just pets - or maybe just one’s social media feeds - it doesn’t seem right. Rain checks may be given, promises may be made, but will we remember to acknowledge these past occasions when we can finally celebrate the virus’s demise? Or will that moment automatically contain all the stifled celebrations of these isolated weeks/months?
I hope Lisa gets her due, one way or the other. These days will certainly be remembered for what was denied - the year the Olympics were postponed, the Summer of no season for the Hollywood Bowl, all the other events cancelled or postponed. We still move through the calendar’s timeline, the dates come and go. We all have to decide which ones we acknowledge or ignore. So I wish Lisa a happy birthday knowing it will be constrained in the hopes of better times to come.
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