Time for a nap.
As I move towards the 15th week of sparkling isolation, things do seem to be moving incrementally back towards some normalcy. Yesterday, I had a doctor’s appointment and except for the new entry protocols (temperature check, COVID questionnaire, and masks) it was not all that removed from any prior appointments.
Later in the day, I celebrated the first day of restaurants opening for indoor dining by making a reservation at one of my favorite spots in the Chicago Loop. I had a lovely meal and caught up with the owners and managers of the restaurant – all of whom have become friends of mine over the years.
For the first time since early March, I rode on public transit in Chicago – taking the Blue Line from Oak Park into the Loop and back again. Riding the El is nearly always irritating on some level, and being stuck on cars with people who weren’t wearing masks – well that is no more annoying to me than man-spreading and people lighting up cigarettes on the El so I wasn’t surprised that my blood pressure went up a little from the experience.
Today, I had a wine certification exam that had been rescheduled four times, but finally happened. I drove into the city for that, had brunch at a nice diner, and then picked up my new suit that was finished with the last bit of tailoring.
Overall, I am feeling a tiny bit more normal than I have in a while.
Now that I am back home and have time to sit and gather my thoughts for this post, I find that my mind is really quite calm and more or less blank. I don’t have anything profound bouncing around in there at the moment – at least in the more conscious part of my brain. Actually, I feel rather tired after waking early, driving in to take the test and running other errands. It is early afternoon now, and I have no other desire than to take a nap.
I suppose the point of this post today is that after all of the mental energy I have expended in the past week – pondering, wondering, examining, etc. – my body and mind are utterly exhausted. Today is a day of rest and rejuvenation.
Tomorrow, I will turn my focus back to more important existential questions – but for now, it’s time for a nap.
It’s only Quarantine if it comes from the Quarante province of France. Otherwise, it’s just Sparkling Isolation.
Sparkling Isolation – Day 100