Looking back over a year of the pandemic

A year ago, March 16, was my last day working night shift after almost 30 years. Night shift was okay, but it was time for a change. I had reached retirement age anyway.

The virus pushed that change a bit earlier as I was planning on retiring anyway later that year. Retiring, or going to more part time. Turns out I'm working part time now since the Y did a partial reopening.

I'm remembering the last time I was dancing on the high energy dancefloor of Rumors Cabaret. Went with a friend for about a year and a half before the virus hit.

My last dance was about a week and a half before the 16th. There was one more weekend of dancing, after that, but I didn't go. The worry about the virus was starting to cast it's pall. After the 16th, things closed.

I'm looking forward to a more normal summer given the vaccine. Maybe even crowded dancing again. Meanwhile there has been dancing on Zoom, but it isn't quite the same.

Part of the problem is that the music they play at the Fairie Zoom Dance isn't that familiar to me. There is something about the resonating of brain and body during familiar music.

I know, that resonation favors more commercial "old favorites." More familiar tunes from the past to the present create the resonation. Probably just from the tunes being familiar. New music often becomes that way after while.

I'm guilty of not finding the resonation in lesser known music, but how many people are reading my lesser known blog? It's the same thing, I guess.

I enjoy dancing outside, like in the park or at events such as the Pride Festival. Dancing with plenty of spacing, probably outdoors at first, would be good steps back to the "good old days" of before March 16 2020.

I used to go to another dance at Presence Studio which is also on Zoom these days. They also hope to bring back that in person experience as the pandemic diminishes.

Part of the reason why I haven't done their Zoom Dance is that it is at the same time as another event called the Lake Padden Walk. The Lake Padden Walk is in person. It's outside and safe. People wear masks.

Since the Wednesday Dinner Group has temporarily had to be suspended, a lot of the same people do the walk. People I have connection to. It's nice to still have had that, at least.

Eventually the Wednesday Dinners can come back, probably at outdoor restaurant seating at first. I couldn't do the Lake Padden Walk when I worked night shift since it's a morning event and I didn't get up. Since night shift ended, I was able to do the Padden Walks.

Changes keep happening. In some cases, things lost. In other cases, new opportunities; like being able to get up in the mornings and go to the Padden Walk.

I am hoping a lot more things can start up again with the vaccine. A lot of things starting outdoors at first, probably. When the dancing energy at Rumors can happen again, we will know we have arrived in a post pandemic era.