It is early on the last Sunday morning of July 2020. July is almost over. Many, including myself, had the idea of treating July 1 as if it was a new year. For many, 2020 is the worst year on record. Perhaps, if 2020 could just be over, we could find new beginnings. Now, we are more than a month into the second half of 2020, and not much has changed.
The major headline on Fox news this morning reads, “Divided We Stand – Cities across the US see night of mayhem, marked by riots, fires, vandalism, fatal shooting.”
According the Center for Disease Control (CDC)’s website, there have been 4.1 million reported cases of the Covid19 virus in the United States and 145,000 deaths. Texas is under the threat of another shutdown as cases continue to rise. Bars have been completely shutdown, and restaurants are only allowed to operate at 50% capacity. Our schools will again be virtual at least the first four weeks of the school year.
The stock market has rebounded since the March crash, which was fueled by fears of the pandemic. Many believe that the market is over-inflated, ignoring the ramifications of the pandemic, and that another major market crash is imminent.
The presidential election is in 126 days. Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump in the polls. Trump’s rebuttal is that Hillary Clinton led in the polls in the 2016 election. Many believe that the virus will disappear as soon as Biden is elected. The virus seemed to disappear during the mass protests as the media had something else to talk about.
Major league baseball returned yesterday. The teams are playing in their own stadiums without fans. Seeing the empty stadiums is surreal, and it fails to bring back any sense of normal.
So what will we do today?
I started my day super early, so I could finish with work and spend time with the boys, as this is the first full day that the three of us have been together in over 3 weeks. Storme and Trooper are sitting together at the front window of the extra room, which I have now claimed as my office. The brother cats are watching two birds hop around the front yard. Their little sister kitty came inside for breakfast, but is now hiding somewhere. Potatoe is asleep at my feet as I sit at my office table and type.
Brainy Bird and Little Chirp are both still asleep. When Brainy Bird gets up, we will put together a detailed plan for his college application process this week. By the end of this week, his first round of college applications will be complete, and we will make a special evening of staying up until 12:01 AM on August 1 to hit the submit button. We will plan for his future just as we have been for years as if none of this is happening.
I am realizing that we should live in the present, embracing each day, but not stop planning a future. I hope that this time next year, we will be busy packing for Brainy Bird to head off to college. We will make a family road trip to see him off to school. In the meantime, we are loving our time together as a little family.