It’s St. Paddy’s Day - the best holiday ever - today. I have a lot of great memories (some not so clear) of St. Paddy’s Day of the past. In O’Neil, NE with a green horse in a bar and a bunch of rowdy rugby players, Chicago with their green river, in Emmetsburg drinking green beer, and 2 years ago in an empty restaurant on my way back from Texas wondering where in heck were all the people. It was the start of the pandemic.
So … we* are looking at life post pandemic. Getting back to whatever normal looks like. One of the first things I’m doing is I’m going to start back eating lunch in the Wildflower. I want to be around people. On social media, people are griping about going back to the office and having to start wearing pants again. (I always wear pants while zooming; I hear this isn’t practiced by all.) Covid lowered the bar** on a lot of things - social, pants-wearing, dining … but, as we start up the social norms again (cue: old machine sound churning) the bar needs to be lifted back up.
I expect feedback; both positive and negative. Everyone has a level of risk they are willing to take. And that is fine. I encourage transparent communication. In the spirit of this awesome holiday that is based upon (in my life at least) the consumption of green beer and singing Irish songs - Erin Go Bragh!! (My cousin, Deb, on our family Facebook site talked about our relative, Becky Dunlap, who emigrated from Ireland way back when … so I come from a place of history. And my goatee was red before it was gray.)
*not everyone feels this way and … that’s all right. Everyone must gauge their own level of risk and act accordingly without judgment. You want to wear a mask, ok. You don’t, ok. (Unless it’s at a hospital or public transport, you have to wear a mask - that’s the law.)
**appropriately - social distancing and masking were/are important for reducing the spread.
