Coronavirus Diary Day 294: December 31, 2020

Don’t Let the Door Hit You in the Ass

It’s New Year’s Eve. It’s been some year, eh? Let’s roll the highlights reel. Um-kay, maybe not. But it wasn’t all bad, you guys. In no particular order, here are the things that made my 2020 extra nice for me:

I loved every single one of my video calls with my cousin, Gina in Germany. I laughed the hardest when I was “with” her.

I enjoyed every chance I had to dine outdoors, as few and far between as those opportunities were. The first time I went to a restaurant, The Hubs took me to lunch at Paladar in King of Prussia. The pandemic had been raging for months, and it felt… super weird. The last time I went to a restaurant, we met our good friends, Courtney and Paul at Cornerstone Bistro in Wayne for dinner (a truly fucking delicious meal, during which we donned hats, gloves, scarves, and coats) and a movie (Christmas Vacation projected on the wall of the building next-door). Between those two times, I took The Hubs to Eddie V’s for his birthday in July. We met our oldest son and his wife for beers at a brewery in the Adirondacks. And honestly, I think that was it.

I mean, other than the few times we dined (indoors) while visiting my US Airman son, Blaise in Florida. Seeing him after 10 months of not seeing him was a crazy good feeling, and doing so in Florida was a taste of freedom that I didn’t object to.

My other son, Ryan graduated high school in June, sans ceremony. I tagged along on his senior week adventures in the Outer Banks, the land that Coronavirus forgot. I didn’t object then, either. Most of his friends acquired Coronavirus between then and their 4th of July weekend at the Jersey shore. They were all fine, and somehow Ryan escaped it. At the end of August, I dropped him at college in West Virginia, where all of his classes eventually went virtual, and kids were constantly quarantined to their dorm rooms. He came home for Thanksgiving, and he never went back. In fact, the next time he goes back, it will be to retrieve his personal items from his dorm room, because we’ve concluded he’ll have a better experience right here at home, for the time being. For me, this is both a delight and a relief.

We held a wedding in our backyard. And it was absolutely perfect.

I cut The Hubs' hair ever since the first lockdown. Even after they opened barbers and hair salons, he actually preferred my haircuts. Looks like I have a new profession.

We spent a lot of weekends camping. Also, we took the dog for many, many walks and hikes. I have always loved the outdoors, but this year in particular, I embraced it like never before.

We had our entire clan of kids together for Christmas. There are 7 of them, so it was nothing less than a miracle. The last time that happened was 5 years ago in France.

The Bestie was there with me through it all. We didn’t see each other, not a single time (except that one time on Skype) during Coronavirus, but our Instagrams and our long strings of text messages kept me going through all the phases. It kinda felt like I was living in Paris again. She got me through that, and she got me through this.

You know what else? Coronavirus wasn’t even a thing in January or February. I mean, *I* knew it was going to be a thing. I can’t understand how other people didn’t know. Like, really? It was in the news, those infections happening in China, then in Europe. How did you not think it was coming to America? *I* knew. Anyways, before it got here, I gathered a big group of friends in upstate New York for the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, and it was hands-down the absolute most fun I had all year. I’m incredibly grateful we had that opportunity to be together before the world changed.

Also in 2020, I published my chapbook of short stories. In case you missed it, you can find it here and here, and lots of other places too.

And this year, for the first year maybe ever, I am making New Years Resolutions. I’ve decided on a pen name and created a schedule of cozy romantic novellas that will be published throughout 2021. I’ll tell you more about that another time. When the world re-opens, I will never take my time for granted ever again. Friends, be prepared to have me in your face.

Tonight, on this unique New Years Eve, The Hubs and I skyped with some of our favorite friends in Denmark. Then, I made a pizza from scratch – with fig, caramelized onions, feta, and prosciutto. And, I’m about to break open this giant bottle of champs that my brother got me for Christmas. Tomorrow morning, I'm scheduled to pick up our Brunch-at-Home Extravaganza from Founding Farmers. Founding Farmers, by the way, saved my sanity during the Spring, when they delivered the most amazing groceries to my door for many weeks in a row. So to the year 2020, you weren't such a failure. Compared to any given year, I’d say this is quite the New Years celebration.

Oh right, one more thing. Earlier in 2020, I awoke from a dream. Not remembering the dream and not knowing my reasons, I bought a little bit of Bitcoin. It turns out, that was a very good decision, at least as it appears right now.

So it turns out, 2020 wasn’t a bust. I mean, I’m thrilled to bid it adieu, and I never want to speak about it ever again. But, it was OK, you know?

Happy New Years, my dear friends. I truly, sincerely hope that the next 365 days are ridiculously fucking awesome to you. Here’s to your productivity, health, happiness, and love. I’m happy that you are in my life. *TO MY FRIENDS WHO ARE NURSES, AND EMTs, AND PHILA FIRE FIGHTERS, AND DOCTORS, AND FRONT LINE WORKERS OF EVERY TYPE (and I actually have A LOT of friends who are all of these things) ----- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! With all sincerity, thank you.

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