Beyond the Byline: Savoring some normalcy during pandemic

Some normalcy returned to my life this past weekend.

The first occurrence of this was in my old hometown of Plymouth.

That’s where we had our annual Fantasy Football draft. We socially distanced and we wore masks. Well, we took them off when seated — well outside the CDC recommended six feet.

Other than those daily reminders of our pandemic lives, the rest of the draft was, yes, normal.

We discussed rules, we selected our draft slots and we busted chops — just like ever other year.

We went down the list, 1 through 12, and snaked back up, 12 to 1. Then, for the third round, we did 12 through 1 again to try to make things a little even. Then the draft went as all others — 1 to 12, 12 to 1, 1 to 12 and so on.

It was absolutely fun again, even though the COVID cloud of uncertainty hovers over major sports. But this draft brought hope, not just to the approaching NFL season, but perhaps hope for an end of the pandemic.

But cases keep climbing and restrictions remain. Masks, social distancing, small crowds.

So during these times, it was good to have some activity that resembled what life was like pre-pandemic.

And then I had dinner with three dear high school friends. We ate outside. The servers wore masks. There were no condiments on the table.

But we shared appetizers and pizza and we talked and we laughed. We caught up with each other’s lives and we relaxed, even for only a couple of hours, as if life was normal again.

But we all know life is not normal. We all know that this pandemic is still with us. And we know we must continue to do what we can do push back — to mitigate.

The year 2020 has been unkind to so many, especially our children and grandchildren who have been robbed of their high school and college experiences. We can’t fix that. We have to cope with it and come up with creative ideas to make it all seem, well, normal. At least for this year anyway.

The experts tell us the only way we can get back to our normal lives is to listen to the guidelines and do what we have to do. But it is difficult —especially after nearly seven months of abnormal life.

We all want to return to those times when we can just pick up and go wherever we want and do whatever we want. But we can’t. We are living, like it or not, in this virtual world where our lives consist of ZOOM conferences, virtual meetings and Halloween every day — you know, wearing our masks.

It’s not funny, I know. It’s sad. But no matter how much we wish things were different, they are not.

We are all in this together and we will be together again — soon I hope —to go to concerts, to go out for dinner, to watch our teams play in person, to have that popcorn at the movies and to hug each other and shake hands again.

I enjoyed my Fantasy Football draft. And I loved being with my friends for dinner.

Like you, I want more. I want it all back.

But for now, I will head to the grocery store, put on my mask and briskly go up and down the aisles, carefully socially distancing as I get my shopping done.

Life in pandemic 2020 continues.