This time last year, I wrote a blog post entitled, “What Lies Ahead…” The post consisted mostly of questions about where we would be a year from now. The words of the previous blog are in blue with updates and thoughts from today in black italics.
August 18, 2020 – Today should have been the first day of Brainy Bird’s senior year of high school and Little Chirp’s first day of junior high. Instead, the summer of uncertainty continues as the political fall out of the pandemic continues to paralyze our nation.
As of right now, school is expected to start on September 8th, and the boys are supposed to be able to return to their class rooms. Most of the schools in our area have either delayed their start dates, or they have resumed classes virtually. Schools in less urban areas of Texas did return to class as originally planned.
I find myself wondering where we will be this time next year.
School did eventually start on September 8th last year. The boys returned to their classrooms, and they both had a great school year. This year, Little Chirp’s junior high and Brainy Bird’s college both started on time. Little Chirp is now on his fourth day of school, and Brainy Bird is on his second day of college.
What will we know about the virus a year from now? Will we still be disrupting our normal lives in response to the virus? Will we have a vaccine? Will we look back on this time and realize that the shutdown was a huge mistake? Will we still be wearing masks? Will the masks help stop the spread of the virus?
I feel like we do not know much more about the virus today than we did this time a year ago. The virus continues to disrupt our normal lives. We do have a vaccine, but we have a large population that is not yet vaccinated. I do not think that the majority of people look back on the shutdown as a mistake. Many, myself included, do not see a second shutdown as an option.
The country is back and forth on masks. Some states banned mask mandates, and some states have mask mandates. Little Chirp’s school is not wearing masks; Brainy Bird’s college is. There is a lot of negativity aimed at the University president for the mask mandate. The irony is that he actually has a strong background in the study of diseases. I respect his decision.
As far as whether or not the masks are helping, there is not emphatic evidence that they are or are not helping. The flu and colds are at a record low, so they are helping in that way. There is no compelling evidence to suggest masks are harmful. I don’t have the answer on masks. I don’t think anyone really does.
Who will be president? Will the nation’s economy be recovering or declining further into a state of depression? Where will the energy market be? In turn, where will Houston’s economy be? What will relations be like with China and the rest of the world?
Joe Biden is the president of the United States. Our nation’s economy is making a strong recovery. Fears of inflation are very real, and there is uncertainty whether the recovery will sustain once the stimulus packages end.
I am happy to say the energy industry is recovering. A number of analysts see energy stocks as best buys for the upcoming month of September when the fed will likely pull back on interest rates. I am happy to say that Houston’s economy is strong. I still save like a squirrel planning for a harsh winter, but I am no longer awake all night worried about keeping my job.
Reports that China created the virus continue to leak out here and there, but they continue to get buried by the liberal media. Chinese stocks are under scrutiny. From a world affairs perspective, the focus is on Afghanistan as the government is crumbling, and the Taliban is regaining control. Americans are fleeing for their lives. Biden’s administration is under intense scrutiny from ALL of the media outlets for his handling of the situation.
Will the world of professional sports be back as we knew it before the pandemic, or will the NFL, NBA and MLB be forever changed as consumer behavior adjusts to the post-pandemic world? Will consumer behavior continue to shift toward savings and spending on online shopping and home improvements, or will consumers return to concerts, dining out and movies?
People still love their sports. I find myself largely checked out. The start of the NFL was once like the night before Christmas for me. Now, I could not even tell you when the first game is. Revenue is down for all of the major sports leagues, that tells us something. Consumer behavior continues to shift to savings and online shopping. I am guilty of this. Once a month, I go on a mini-buy local shopping spree, but I spend very little on these sprees.
Restaurants went from struggling with forced closures during the shutdown and a lack of customers to struggling with labor and supply shortages. Most of my favorite eateries are crowded again. People are returning to concerts, but there are plenty of headlines for concert cancellations. I am not sure if people are back at the movies. I have not been in years. The summer was a strong time for airlines and hotels, but there are reports of travel tapering amid new fears of the delta variant of the virus.
Will the acceleration of technological investment brought on by the pandemic continue or will the advancement level off?
The technological investment brought on by the pandemic continues, and I believe that it is going to continue. Brainy Bird prefers the software side of technology. I think he is going to find some of his biggest job opportunities in four years to be on the robotic side. That is okay, every robot needs a good programmer, and Brainy Bird is one of the best.
Where will Brainy Bird be this next time next year? Will we have dropped him off at college? Where will that be? Will Little Chirp and I be ready to adjust to not having Brainy Bird with us?
Of all things, the answers to these last questions make me the happiest. Brainy Bird is at the University of South Carolina. I dropped him off on Sunday. He is living on campus in the Honors Residence. His first week has been amazing so far.
At this very moment, Brainy Bird is in his University 101 class. Usually, engineering and computer science students do not take this class because their schedules are so full. Having two full years of college credit through AP courses, Brainy Bird rewarded himself with this class. The purpose of the course is to help students emerge themselves in university life and set them up for success.
Little Chirp and I are ready for life just the two of us with Brainy Bird away for college. Although, he did tell me that I am trying too hard. He does not want me to make his breakfast and lunch every morning. He likes his morning routine of doing this for himself. Little Chirp has been in charge of lunch making since Brainy Bird started high school four years ago. I like getting up and making the breakfast and Little Chirp’s lunch. Time will tell how we balance this out as the days continue.
So far, Little Chirp has made dinner two of the three nights. He made delicious tacos and Thai basil chicken. We have been finetuning the Thai basil chicken recipe over the past year. No doubt, Little Chirp has mastered it. On my night to cook, I made a roast. There is a lot of room for improvement. I can’t ever seem to get the roast to have that distinct, delicious flavor that my grandmother’s roast had.
So many questions. Only time will tell…
This time last year, I only thought of the future. I did not live in the present. Today, I am very much living in the present. I am living one of the best chapters of my life thus far.