We’re all experiencing our second pandemic Easter. I am not sure if it’s easier because we know what to expect, or harder because we know what to expect.
We recently hit the one-year mark in the pandemic and this is the first holiday that we are heading into in Round 2.
With the new restrictions in place, it feels a little like déjà vu.
The one thing that we have this year that we didn’t last Easter is experience and better understanding. We are constantly being told we are on the last leg of the marathon, which I really hope is true.
We all remember being children on a long car trip and annoying our parents by asking: “Are we there yet?”
Eventually, we learned that asking the question never got us there any faster and ruined the drive for everyone around us.
Sometimes I wish that the next few months would fly by, so we can discover what our post-pandemic lives will be. At the same time, I want to make sure I am cherishing these times with my daughter.
Pre-COVID, I would look forward to finding community events to celebrate Easter with her. Community egg hunts, bouncy castles and crafts were a great way to spend the weekend out in the sun with lots of other people.
As my daughter gets older, I am reminded that she is closer to being a teen than a small child. By the time we see community events re-emerge, such as egg hunts, bouncy castles and crafts, she might be too old for them.
As I write this column, I think of the age-old saying “It’s not the destination that counts; it’s the journey.”
As Easter drew nearer, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that it would be another small, quiet day. I miss going to events such as large egg hunts with a hundred kids whose painted-faces are filled with excitement as they scrimmage for plastic eggs.
Holidays are landmarks for our memories and we often feel compelled to make the holidays extra-special. Sometimes, with COVID, that can feel hard to accomplish.
At the beginning of this week, my daughter told me how excited she was for Easter, saying: “It’s nice to know that there is magic in the world.”
When I asked her to explain, she said: “You know the Easter Bunny, Santa ….”
It was a good reminder of the magic that we do have in the world. We don’t need to always depend on the Easter Bunny to bring that magic. We can play our own role, too.
This year has been tough for everyone, and harder on some than others.
I have known friends who have had COVID-19 and some have had to be hospitalized. I have heard first-hand how terrible their experiences were with the virus.
Local businesses have suffered, and community members have lost their jobs or had their hours cut.
There are plenty of people who could benefit from some magic.
This Easter is going to be different yet again. If we remind ourselves of the journey we are on toward our post-pandemic lives, we can probably find some time to spread some magic while we wait.
