Freedom!

 I received my second COVID-19 shot today.  Within hours, a friend texted me to say she and her husband received THEIR second shot today, too. And could we come to dinner in two weeks? Dinner? At someone's house? IN PERSON???  Hallelujah! Praise God!! Amen!

(The HUB gets HIS second shot in two days. Life is good.)

We WILL wear masks. Hugging is still not recommended. But visiting in person!!! With someone I am not related to? Wow!!!

The funny thing is this: I was not aware of the negative effects of insularity on me. Yes. I have dragged and yes, I also felt sluggish and reluctant to engage every morning. 

Still, when I sat in front of my computer screen to talk with groups of people, I felt huge waves of gratitude. I enjoy NOT going to stores. My younger sister started a music sharing hour with me each week. That would NOT have happened in non-quarantine times. See? Things worked out for me! I prefer eating at home and don't miss restaurants.

Right now, I feel so light, so unburdened that I suspect the whole looking-on-the-bright-side thing kept me sane but not unaffected by quarantine.

Some things will change. In a couple of weeks, Hub will want to go out to eat. If I need one ingredient to make a recipe, I will run to the store and get just that one thing. We might drive to upstate New York to visit the above mentioned sister's palatial new home. We CAN GO PLACES!! Masked, of course, socially distant, but NOT HERE!

Here is what I hope will not change:  Music with my sister; Scrabble games with my Mom two or three times a week; walks - but NOW I can walk more places once the snow melts; staying home - I do like staying home; a slower pace; an appreciation of what we have.

It may be the Spring sun returning. It may be my second vaccine dose but Hope is in my heart today.