The Virus Diary: Frustrated Festering Friday

Welcome to Friday!  The only reason I know it's Friday is because I know I needed to go to the grocery store.  That's my Friday thing (and it's also become my Tuesday thing.)  So I went today to my local (still under construction/renovation) Shoprite.  I got most of what I needed.  The shelves were pretty well stocked.  There were even cleaning supplies, which I didn't need, but I did check.  This time however, there were absolutely NO paper products.  Not a lone paper towel roll (not even the off brand that doesn't really work).  Not a box of tissues.  Not a napkin.  Not a roll of toilet paper.  I don't need any of those things...yet...if they had been available I would have gotten a box of tissues and a roll of paper towels, but...The store was not crowded at opening.  As a matter of fact it was probably close to being back to the "usual" Friday crowd; the people, like me, who go every Friday when the store opens.  I saw several "regulars" although a lot more were wearing masks.

So that was one of my Friday "activities."  My other at activity thus far was my morning walk.  I haven't been walking in the morning, but today I did.  I started later than I usually would, but I still walked.  I saw very few people out and I don't think anyone was in the park (good because it's supposed to be closed.)  As I was heading uphill and home, a car pulled up beside me and some guy yelled that he could see me a mile away because of the clip on lights on my sneakers. (Well that IS the point!)  I didn't listen to music as I usually do when I walk in the morning because I wanted to be more aware of what was going on around me.  Of course that was next to nothing, but...I'm hoping that I'll get another opportunity to walk later today.  I'm coming to rely on my mid-day outings to keep me sane.  (And I hope you are finding something that breaks up your day and provides you with some release too.)

This day was supposed to be different.  I know...all of our days were supposed to be different, but...

Last night my husband reminded me that today was supposed to be a vacation day for me, a 1/2 day of school for my son, a weekend where my parents would look after my son at the NJ shore...it the first day of the annual Fest for Beatles fans.  Hubby is the video guy and we plan this annual weekend gathering very precisely.  He puts together a show (this takes months of work and planning.)  A week before we purchase snacks.  (And I get a bottle of wine for myself!)  The day of, we put in order in at Jersey Mikes.  (Because the food at the restaurant in the hotel is expensive.)  We'd pack up our gear and our "fest garb" (yes, I have clothing specifically for this weekend) and head over to the hotel in Jersey City.  (Which is a zillion times nicer than where it used to be in Secaucus, but I still have a soft spot for:)

But I digress (as I often do...)

The Fest is a LOT of work.  It's a LOT of crazy.  It's a LOt of strange.  It's a LOT of weird.  It is also bitter cold (I have no idea why the one hallway we are always placed in is so cold.)  It can be a lot fun.  For me, however, the highlight is getting to see, talk with and BE with friends.  For many, it is the one time of year where we can physically get together and enjoy each other's friendship.  For me, the friendships that I have made at and through this gathering is one of it's most precious gifts.  To celebrate those friendships on the last day of the fest (Sunday), I have taken to hosting a Sunday Morning brunch.  (This Sunday would have been our 4th annual one.)

Of all the things that I will miss, the brunch is the one that I will miss the most.  I will miss the coffee that Tom & Robin bring.  I will miss the bagels that David & Kelley bring.  I will miss the home cooking of Susan.  I will miss the pastries from Kit and Larry and Duncan and others gift us with. I will miss the OJ that Janet brings.  I will miss the bubbly that Jim and Warren and others will bring.  The brunch is not complete without our annual toast with mimosas (I do believe our first year we introduced Klaus Voorman to the beverage.)  The glassware still sits in my basement; ready to be used when Fest comes round again.  (It is NOT cancelled; just postponed.)  

So this is a frustrating Friday.  A Friday without Festering.  I am saddened, but I am not complaining.  For as much as I wish I could be with my friends; a much as I wish this was a weekend of crazy, I know that as George Harrison said, "all things must pass."  This pandemic WILL pass away...maybe not as quickly as we would like, but it will pass.  And there will be a time for festing again. When that time comes, I will raise my glass to the Beatles, who brought us all together, and to these wonderful friends who gather with me to sing and be silly.