With school starting next week, it sure feels like normal is coming back, doesn’t it?
Well, maybe.
Yes, all the normal activities are being planned for the school year, including sports, homecoming, concerts and class parties and field trips, which sound great to parents near and far.
However, sadly, these announcements seem to come with a caveat that these plans are “for now” and could change at a moment’s notice due to the new surge of COVID-19.
I know, none of this is fun, and I think most people, parents of school-aged kids most of all, are simply frustrated with how the “new normal” now focuses on nothing but uncertainty.
It’s rough. That much is true.
We’ve all seen our lifestyles turn a 180 over the past 18 months and while some have made that adjustment with few hiccups, some have not and continue to struggle – that is what is most heartbreaking to me.
My wife and I were just talking the other day about how January 2020 was our last “good” month. The six months after that saw us lose two of our beloved pets, our three kids get sent home to learn online, limited visits with family, and a sense of worry we had never had before in our nearly 20 years together.
I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel. I really do.
I will say that meeting and talking to so many people in Clarkston during the pandemic has given me renewed faith in humanity. Generally, folks are upbeat and just rolling with the punches.
Chin up, people. We’ll get there!
— Matt Mackinder