According to the Center for Disease Control, the Pandemic is pretty much at an end for all vaccinated adults.  After a very long year plus a few months, it feels like an abrupt end.  Going from wearing a mask and seeing very few people to suddenly having the whole world opened again is very strange and requiring some adjustment.

Tom and I have been fully vaccinated since the end of March.  In fact, everyone in my extended family is now fully vaccinated.  After a year in which we didn’t make any plans, we can suddenly eat in restaurants, go to concerts, and shop till we drop.  Maybe.

Tom and I are easing in to these new guidelines.  From Pandemic restrictions to normal, post-pandemic life is a rather wild swing.  There are some things we really liked about our life the last year.  We liked having our family bubble so available.  John and Jackie were always home.  Although they were busy, we could stop by and see them most any time.  We spent two days a week with my parents.  Every week for the last 11 months.  We had a great time with them, enjoying all the games of dominoes, long conversations, and sharing of lives.

Suddenly we can see other people again and our schedule has gotten very crowded very fast.  I enjoyed having most mornings at home for writing and my afternoons for reading, weaving, and doing projects around the house.  Knowing that we can travel again means we have so many other options.  With limited choices, I made the best of the situation and enjoyed it for the most part.  There were days I chafed an the enforced confinement, but there were so many blessings as well.

I am glad we can get out and do more things and that social circles are expanding.  However, I must admit I also enjoy solitude and don’t want to lose that time for my own projects.  I have some things I want to do that I didn’t make time for before the last year and I want to continue doing them.

I am very thankful that the Pandemic is ending for those of us who are vaccinated.  Now that vaccinations are available for everyone, I want everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible to keep everyone safe.  I am thankful for the blessings of the last year and hope to hold on to some of the things I have enjoyed doing.  I am especially thankful for the five people who were in my pandemic bubble and kept me sane during the last year.

The last 15 months have been hard on all of us and it will take some time to get back to normal.  Not all the changes were bad and some of them were a great blessing.  What lessons have you learned?  What changes from the last year are you hoping to hang on to now that the pandemic is over?