Summer Social

 

Have you been socializing more this summer than you have for a while? Seeing friends and family used to be the easiest thing in the world for me before the pandemic. I met friends for lunch, dinner, coffee; I went to the theater or a movie with friends or family; and got to parties, now and again, when I was invited.

Then came SARS COVID 2 and all that changed. Winter became a time that I was worried about surges--and I've stayed worried because of an autoimmune disease and immuno-suppressant medicine. But summer is my friend.

Summer, spring and fall offer air to at least make it harder to catch something. So much of the time, I think about how lucky I am to have a decent sized yard and think about how to use it for guests--friends, coworkers, neighbors, you name it.

This summer my husband and I have been seeing friends at our house or visitng other homes nearly every weekend since July began. I would have started sooner but had an uninvited guest that required abdonimal surgery.

We've been to a 90th birthday party (pictured here); a family gathering up north (twice); invited friends for dinner and lunch; and I'm planning to invite another friend over because I've never met her in person and yet have gotten so close just talking on the phone during this pandemic.

Am I a little tired from trying to cram in a year's worth of visits into a few short months? Yes. Would I do anything differently? No. Why? The studies are right when they say that the lack of social time has a worse effect on us than smoking.

And like Game of Thrones always warned us, winter is coming. And the coronavirus will once again rear its ugly head.

So I plan to spend a lot of winter writing, if all goes well. Still writing now, but seeing people I haven't seen in years and it's really lifting my spirts. Making me feel so much more like I want to feel, and not, you know. 

Depressed. Alone. Anxious.

Last summer, a friend I was visiting and hadn't seen for years hugged me. I felt nervous at first, then grateful--and then wondered how I'd gone so long without a hug from a close friend.

So if you're eyeing some outdoor furniture or a kayak or fire pit or outdoor gazebo or any number of things that make it more comfortable to be with friends and family outdoors, I say--

Go for it.

Your friends will thank you. You'll thank you. 

Maybe hug somebody, too.