Moments Of Humanity

The world we used to know is fast becoming a distant memory.

What we need during these stressful times is some relief; a chance to set aside the statistics and dire predictions, and to share moments where our humanity shines through. Over the past week I’ve been searching for these moments. Here are some of them:

Peter and I have been enjoying our walks, staying at least 2 meters away from others and observing people from a distance. We have decided to walk the Lake Ontario shoreline, in short segments, from Scarborough to Mississauga. (If the virus continues for long, we may walk all the way to Hamilton!) On one of our walks we saw a couple of kids making an unusual tree fort. It may not be patented yet, but they were very proud of their creation.

I unearthed the notebook from my Italian class and made two plans. One was to practise speaking Italian more. Peter offered to help. He started waving his hands in the air and emitting noises faster than the speed of sound, foreign sound. In desperation I yelled “Pietro, lentamente! Fermati!! STOP!!! On to my next plan.

Also in my notebook was a recipe for biscotti. The ingredients were all things I had on hand: eggs, flour, sugar and nuts – 6 cups of nuts that had to be chopped. Soon my hand was numb. Then the batter had to be kneaded. Using my best coronavirus survival skills, I donned disposable gloves, and dove in. You can imagine what a mess that was – more dough on the gloves than on the cookie sheet. But the biscotti are delicious; our tribute to Italy where people are suffering untold numbers of deaths every day.

In our biggest sacrifice so far, we have temporarily parted ways with Lucy our cleaning lady (See December 10, 2019 post). She is worried about her family, hesitant to stray too far from home. Peter was excited about this turn of events. He values his time in his favourite chair, without interruption, on Friday mornings. So last Friday when I asked him whether he wanted toilets or vacuuming, he looked stunned. But to give him credit, he recovered, grabbed the vacuum and went about his new job with great energy and attention to detail, well except under the sofa. Maybe he’s saving that adventure for next Friday.

And from you, dear readers. a few moments to share:

Vera and Gary got all dressed up last Saturday for a St Patrick’s Day party, a party that ended up happening by themselves at home.

Greg has taken to YouTube to learn a few dances. When he’s not dancing, he’s acting as a human indoor slide for the kids.

Bill had no mask or disposable gloves for his trip to the store, so he found some dormant ski equipment instead. He’ll be getting out of jail soon.

Finally, Cindy reminds us to “do everything we can to stay healthy and keep others healthy. We can do this, fellow Canadians!”

That seems to be the perfect ending… for now. Stay safe, everyone.

Sue