I just found a hot air balloon festival near us this summer. They are controlling the number of attendees due to COVID, it’s outside, and looks like a lot of fun. I’ve never been to a hot air balloon festival and neither have my children. My son and I, who don’t do well with heights, will be happy to admire them safely on the ground.
But I hesitated to fill out the participation form.
It wasn’t because of COVID, and yet it was because of COVID.
I wasn’t worried some much about us contracting COVID. We should be fully immunized by then, we can wear masks and stay distanced as needed.
After over a year at home canceling most events, and not going and doing many normal things because of COVID, there’s a mental block there.
Do I want to leave the house? A year ago it would have been a responding yes as I chafed against the shutdown restrictions. There was a profound feeling of being trapped at home. But through time, I’ve adjusted and home is. . . Well, comfortable!
When my children were small I used to take them to all kinds of places and festivals. As my son started having more issues it became difficult, but I still tried to get us out and push his boundaries open a bit.
As our world starts to return to normal, we are faced with a new challenge. How do we deal with the mental block of being around people again, with or without masks? What will this new world post-COVID look like? Do we want it to go back to normal? Are there things that have changed for the better? Individually and collectively, these are the questions that we are all asking ourselves right now.
The answers remain to be seen.
