I am at my computer at my spouse's desk in the main living area in our rented condo. My parents are steps away; they spent the night in our guest room, and in an hour, I'll take them to the airport, where their flight to Richmond, Virginia is still listed as "on time," despite the winter storm warning. It's a morning flight, so we're hoping they can get to Richmond and get home to Williamsburg before the worst of the weather sets in.
We've had a lovely time together. They flew in on Christmas day, and then the next day, we drove over to Marco Island for our vacation time with my sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and nephew's friend. It was the perfect vacation for me: unstructured, with good food, and plenty of time to read and sleep. I loved the beach views from every window. It was restorative.
Yesterday, we loaded up the car, checked out of the resort, and got home by noon. We unloaded the car, made lunch out of the leftovers, and checked various weather sites, channels, and apps. My folks are flying Spirit, which has exactly one flight out of Ft. Lauderdale, the first flight of the morning, each day, so they couldn't try to switch tickets to fly out yesterday afternoon or evening, the way they might if they had flown Delta.
We decided a walk was in order, so we went out into the January heat (85 degrees!) and walked down Hollywood Boulevard to see the classic car show that happens on the first Sunday of every month. For me, the main attraction was that we could walk down the middle of the street, since it is closed to traffic.
We decided to stop at the Tipsy Boar because they have outdoor seating, and we needed a bit of a break from the walking in the heat. We were delighted to discover that they offered 3 beers for $3 each because a Florida team was playing, and they had a special on nachos. What a great midafternoon treat, and since we didn't particularly care that the Miami Dolphins were losing in a spectacular fashion, it was mildly interesting to be surrounded by the game on big screens.
We walked back home, and a bit later had wine and cheese on the balcony--not as glorious as our vacation balcony of the past week, but still lovely. We have a string of lights wrapped around the railing, and we could see a neighbor's lighted Christmas tree across the way. Our huge Christmas poinsettia survived--bless those band kids that my purchase supported! I will miss these Christmas sights.
Today is a strange day for me, after the airport transport. I will go to work, where I will work one day, and then I will be out the rest of the week to go to the seminary in South Carolina (LTSS) to wrap up my certificate program in spiritual direction. COVID cases are spiking, and that may or may not have implications for all of our schools. My onground intensive at the seminary is still meeting in person, but with online options for people who need it. I feel a strong yearning to be there in person.
I know that many of us return to "regular life" today, whatever that looks like, and we know that what it looks like this week may not be what it looks like next week. Another year of pivoting is likely in store. May we continue to face the challenges with grace and skill, and may there be fewer challenges than we expect.
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