April 17

It’s Friday today, Friday used to mean something. Now it’s just another day that ends in a why. Why? It becomes a question being asked among a myriad of others. Friday used to be a day for a sociable at the pub after work, now the most sociable we get is on our walks, two metres distance.

Going to work today I am grateful for my opportunity to make some money. Driving along the highway the lack of traffic is a happy side to the shutdown being implemented. Our world seems very normal on the surface, the beauty of the weather brightens the day and I enjoy the view from the roof. Working really does get in the way of enjoying the view. Going in the building some people still don’t buy into social distancing and it feels awkward when people enter my personal space. Space that is now a six foot invisible bubble. Home feels safe and I rejoice in the security as I pull into the driveway.

Krista is not quite ready to start planting the garden so I cut the grass. Two cuts before the middle of April feels like a victory and I am enjoying our newfound clean streak in the yard. Days certainly seem the same now. Going to work was a welcome relief from the monotony. Walking behind the mower I think of my Dad. What he would say about todays situation? i think he would scoff a bit. Most seniors I see are not taking it very serious or even capable of practicing social distancing. Home with family is my happy place, walking behind the mower no longer a chore.

We walk up the hill again, why break a streak?. I think we have walked our street for 25 straight days, days on end with my wife and we’re still sane. More sane than ever, more connected to my neighbourhood and my town. The view is breathtaking as we reach the top of the road. The lights of Kettle valley are framed by the majestic mountains above and the deep darkness of the lake below. I lose myself in the view and hold my wife tight. The world is truly much the same as it was hundreds of years before and it will remain the same hundreds of years hence.

I look to the future again, look to build more connections to friends, to family and to nature. Being true to ourselves we embrace our gratitude and will connect again.