To the people I’m seeing in person for the first time as the Upper Valley opens up as the COVID-19 pandemic lessens:
Hello, how are you? Is that still a proper greeting in the post(ish) pandemic world? Forgive me, I’m not quite sure how to handle introductions now. “How are you?” seems to carry much more weight than it did before when so many people have not been doing well for so long.
I should warn you, I’m probably going to talk too much about my cats. They were one of the greatest sources of joy and amusement during the year-plus I spent at home. I can also tell you all about the neighborhood cat who visits our yard (nicknamed Orange Cat) whom I photograph every chance I get.
Is it OK to ask what you did during your time at home? I understand this might be a difficult topic to discuss, and I don’t want you to feel bad if you didn’t attempt a sourdough starter, take up needlepoint or declutter your entire home. I did none of those things, either, and if we’re being honest, some days the most I could manage was rereading a book that I just finished.
Speaking of reading, I spent a lot of time doing that, though I probably couldn’t tell you many of the titles I read (and the many I didn’t finish because I had trouble following complex plotlines and nonfiction books). I will tell you that I gained an even deeper appreciation for libraries. Can you believe we live in a society where we can borrow e-books, real-world books and digital movies for free? It really kept me going.
And in terms of what I streamed, well, that’s a tough one. I can probably give you a really good digest of every single season of ER and when I think the series “jumped the shark.”
Did you also become attached to the flock of geese near your home and watch them raise their young? I found a lot of comfort in watching those cycles of life continue, and sometimes while out in the woods I’d stop for five minutes to watch chipmunks, wondering what their lives are like (and choosing to ignore that they get eaten by predators a lot).
No, I’m not going to comment on your new haircut or any other differences in your appearance. I haven’t had a haircut since the beforetimes because I cannot make up my mind on what to do with it. Is now the time for the purple hair I promised myself for my 30th birthday? Just thinking about that decision overwhelms me.
Overwhelmed is a really good word to describe going out to events again. When I finally browsed through a favorite bookstore this spring, I was so happy I almost cried. And my first visit to a thrift store turned into a shopping spree.
Looking at a menu inside a restaurant is weird, and it takes me much longer to order than it did before. Maybe it just feels that way because I’m not stealing glances at Tiger King while scrolling through the menu on my phone.
During the pandemic, I feel like I lingered too long on phone calls, and now that we’re back to in-person chats, I’m doing the same. My apologies if I keep trying to keep the conversation going. My husband was the only person I spent long periods of time with, and he’s used to my babbling.
I think it’ll take time for all of us to get back into the swing of how to be with each other again. I’m trying to be a little more forgiving of myself and others. And if I talk about my cats too much, please feel free to ask me to stop. I completely understand.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
