silver linings

​Okay. Enough. Done. Day 54 of this social distancing thing, and I'm beginning to feel a wee bit off; see, I just wrote "wee"...enough said. 
I'm not going to indulge in all the things I'm missing, because let's face it, you're most likely missing them too. I do feel terrible for young people who're are missing their "firsts": graduations, first year spring college experiences, proms, trips, etc. They wait anxiously for these passages, and the loss is real. 
Please conspire with me for just a moment to curse (yup, a drunken sailor mouth I may have), this Vermont winter, I mean weather...my daffodils are hearty, but let's not push our luck, snow pile. So here's the thing, just like Vermont weather- wait a day and it'll change- I have noticed magical things during the past 54 days during COVID-19 shutdown.
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Here are a few of my favorites:
 
1. Bake-offs and families sharing recipes over Zoom.
2. Harry Potter makes a come-back for a mom and daughter (my best friend in NH), as part of homeschooling. 
3. While on the homeschool subject, kids are getting almost enough sleep; not having to rush to the bus😏
4. Parents and kids doing gym class together; never before have I seen so many folks out walking, running, biking, and playing. 
5. Returning birds, spring flowers, and blooming bushes all being "noticed" with greater passion than most fast-paced springs. Mother nature is taking this opportunity to show us what's possible!
6. Zoom virtual cocktail gatherings...way more fun than the striped-shirt wearing kid's Zoom I watched as a teenager👯
7. The sound of fire trucks and car horns celebrating kids on bus routes.  
8. Gas expenses down, grocery bills up, dinning-out costs down, gluten consumption up...machine-drying jeans a definite no, no right now! 
9. Happy, socialized, unconditionally-LOVING pets!
10. Lastly, the ease of rush-hour on our little I-89 interstate; this I relish in.
  
I wish you continuous magical silver linings as Vermont slowly reopens. 
Take good care, be well, and notice what you're noticing.