Birthdays and Celebrations in the Age of Covid

It was our middle son's 32nd birthday today.

Under "normal" circumstances, he would have been here with us, along with his sister and various friends and nearby family. But these are not "normal" circumstances, so the day was marked by — once more — a Zoom meeting of the family. This weekend, he is taking himself hiking...

After our brief group chat, I found myself pondering the way we have adapted to this new way of life... the things we have forgone and even given up; the celebrations, birthdays, graduations and anniversaries that have passed largely unremarked... as we sit in our little "bubbles" of perceived safety, while time marches on by.

Supposedly, things are getting "safer" out there. Supposedly, a lot of people are getting their Covid shots, and supposedly it's making a difference. I read somewhere today that something like 75% of the new cases here in the USA are now from one of the "new strains," known as "B.1.1.7."

I thought about that article, and about the distinct possibility that this thing is just going to keep dividing and mutating, making it so that we are essentially never "safe" from this illness.

But we've never been safe, have we? We're not safe from the flu, not safe from measles, not safe from getting a cold, not safe from cancer, not safe from a whole slew of different things.

As I write these words, an estimated 560,000 people have died from Covid or "Covid-related" illness here in the US. That's on the order of somewhat under 0.2% of the population... which is a terrible thing, but still a very far cry from the alarmists and conspiracy theorists who insisted that "A quarter to a third of the population will die."

The number of Covid deaths is fairly similar to the number cancer deaths in this country. Somehow, that "feels" about right. Most of us know (or know of) somebody who has died from cancer, and now most of us know somebody who has died from Covid.

The main difference, of course, is that Covid has totally change the culture, while cancer has not. At least not ways that are as visible.

Around here, we are settling in for yet another we expect to be without travel. We're going to take things in a relaxed fashion, not worry about Covid vaccinations till a track record of both success rates and side effects develops, and generally focus most of our energies on building our food garden... which we already doubled last year.

Meanwhile, we are very grateful that we are both self-employed, and we both work from home and primarily online. As such, our existence isn't really affected that much.

Except... sometimes it feels like we are "colonists" on an alien planet where the atmosphere is not entirely safe for humans, and we have few — if any — effective immunities against the local infectious diseases. You just learn to be very very careful.

Meanwhile, our son is another year older... and "adulting" in a world that looks increasingly different from the one he grew up in; from the one we grew up in.

Thanks for reading, and stay healthy out there!

How about YOU? How have you been handling things like family celebrations and birthdays? How tight are the lockdowns and restrictions, where you are? Do you think we'll ever reach a life "after Covid?" Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

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Created at 20210408 23:19 PDT
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