Where did summer go? We can only look back and remember those glorious summers we had in the past, those vacation trips with families and friends, the adventures of the young, the time for taking things easy for parents before the school year starts again. It meant sleeping in, watching movies or TV series, playing with friends or just about whatever one can think of to enjoy the months of having less pressure.
We were not able to feel the excitement of the closure of graduation, the traditional stepping up that usually defines the month of March. We did not have the chance to welcome the summer months when we would have planned where to go, who to be with and what to do in those two months. These pleasures were snatched from us due to COVID19.
Since March, most of us dread going out of the house knowing that we are all vulnerable to infection. We stay at home and try to creatively make use of our time connecting with the outside world on social media, somehow reaching out for assurance that our social bubble is still intact and when this virus is licked for good, we can go back to what we had before. This, obviously, is wishful thinking.
The world has changed. Scientists are predicting that the virus will be here for some time as they race to develop a vaccine that could treat the virus. We will be coming out of the community quarantine slowly and carefully. Established social norms may no longer hold true. Maybe social distancing and proper hygiene will become a habit for most.
Summer is a feeling. It triggers memories of joy under the hot sun. It fires up our senses to explore and do something different. It is the season of change. No matter the anxiety we face today, what we did in summer 2020 in the time of COVID19, will be told and retold in the years to come.
