It's been said before - and it's worth saying again - this summer is going by far, far too quickly. I know: what an earth-shattering revelation.
It's also worth pointing out another obvious detail: this summer (and last) have been remarkably unremarkable. While some people are taking the somewhat improved COVID situation in stride this summer, insofar as to venture out on vacation, that trend has largely bypassed my own familial and social networks, with the vast majority electing to stay put. After all, we've spent a year being told to "stay home" to "save lives".
While there is something to be said for this notion of "living with the virus", general consensus seems to be that we simply aren't there yet. Mask requirements and capacity restrictions have been lifted province-wide, and yet, we remain masked and at home. Speaking anecdotally, the only time I ever really left the house for several months was to go to work. Wake up, work, go home, sleep, repeat. This humdrum of monotony that's come to represent life in this new decade.
While the bright spots have been increasing - a family birthday here, a "seafood fiesta" there - things are, in every way, far less normal than they were back in 2019. And while these bright spots are something to look forward to - the buildup, the enjoyment while there - in many ways, they're still a mirage. Very real in the moment, and a reminder after of everything we've lost on out for so many months.
And so we live in this tedium, crossing days off calendars and marching ever-onward to some destination- some date- yet undefined; this demarkation and precipice that we'll cross, where we'll suddenly find ourselves back in the pre-pandemic world, or some approximation of it, anyways.
Is this overly existential? Probably. Maybe it's because of the heat, or the looming reality of school - my last year as an undergrad before being thrust out into the real world - that has me mourning everything that's been missed in pandemic society.
No matter who you are, or where you're from, I think it's safe to say we can all agree on one thing: we've all deserved better than we've gotten over the last 17 months.
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