Life As We Knew It

Life as we knew it is coming back. I am not making this up. We had some experiences last week that gave the news away.

One afternoon Peter and I actually went to the movies! We saw the latest James Bond film with another couple. There were the requisite car chases: around tight corners, along precarious ledges, through deep water and mud, all the while being shot at from behind. There were the usual sexy babes, wearing slinky black dresses with low-cut bodices, short skirts and invisible pockets for hiding the pistols. There was the necessary suspenseful plot: the hero at death’s door and the world about to blow up.

But we had our own share of suspense just going into the theatre. Would it be safe? Would people breathe covid germs all over us? Would we suffocate while wearing our masks for almost 3 hours? Well none of that was true. We were checked for vaccine ID as we went into the…EMPTY…theatre! There was nobody there but us. We were eventually joined by 6 other people, all in couples, all sitting very far away from us and each other in this massive theatre. We even took our masks off part-way through the movie so we could breathe for a bit.

Another day Peter dared to invite his poker group for an afternoon of games. First of all, we made sure that everyone was double vaccinated. There was a lot of discussion about keeping windows open and masks on, but the guys were so glad to see each other after almost 2 years, that they forgot both. They spent the first hour of the afternoon catching up on news and jokes. Then they spent the next hour trying to remember the various poker games they usually played. In 2 years they had forgotten a lot. One player even forgot his winnings at the end of the day! But we promised to put the $$ somewhere safe for him – as long as we don’t forget where.

A big disappointment of the event was that the chairs I recovered for the poker guys during last year’s long winter – chairs that were featured in a blog post, chairs that used to be ugly gold and are now soft black vinyl – went unused! I tried not to cry when the guys seemed to be having a good time without them, even staying later than usual and planning their next get-together in only a few weeks.

Another first was when I went to have my snow tires installed: I was actually allowed to sit in the waiting room until the service was finished. The chairs were all spread apart and an attendant came by a couple of times to wipe them off with disinfectant. There was no coffee available and no newspapers to read. But there were treats – Halloween candy, individually wrapped.

And, on the weekend, our curling club opened up for the first time since March 2020. Once again we all had to provide proof of double vaccination. On the ice we mostly kept our masks on, but we took them off when our glasses fogged up so much that we couldn’t see! The tables where we have our post-game social were all spread out, on two levels, so nobody had to sit too close. There was no popcorn or other finger food, but the bar was open for beer and wine, It was a fitting way to toast our old lives coming back again.

How is your “new old life” going these days?

Sue