Memorial Day 2021 Issue

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Keeping Our Eyes on the Post- Pandemic Prize A Story and photo by MELISSA SUMMERS “ re we there yet?” Just like family road trips of our younger years seemingly dragging on forever, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken us on a journey without a destination in sight. And so, the cliché childhood quandary has taken on a whole new meaning in 2021. Heard for decades coming from back seats, the frequently uttered idiomatic phrase is now being echoed in our schools, on our athletic fields and within our small businesses across the country—and certainly isn’t any less resounding in my household. We are more than a year into something that last April I thought would obviously be over and done with by the summer. That’s when busy shopping centers became ghost towns, schools locked their doors and anything resembling “life before COVID” disappeared. Events and commitments were erased from our calendar and our family postponed an iconic trip last summer, not just for a few weeks, but for a whole year. But we are determined it will happen this summer. We’ve become used to, yikes, the “new normal.” The term itself gives me the shivers. I The author with her family: husband John, kids Rebecca, Trace and Kylie. have masks and face covers shoved in my purse, my glove compartment and coat pockets. There’s a giant bin of them by the front door. Even my 3-year-old, Rebecca, carries a spare in her backpack, and calls out gleefully, “I need my mask!” whenever we park the car. She doesn’t have a clue why she has to wear one, but clearly it’s become part of her normal, and that just stinks. Now we watch people in movies and TV shows made just a few years ago and automatically wonder why the characters aren’t standing 6 feet apart or wearing masks. The pandemic has seeped its way into the plot lines of prime-time shows and forced game shows to place on-stage contestants awkwardly far from the hosts. We’ve made some progress, like indoor dining and limited capacity at sports events, but many have perfected the ways of curbside pickup, grocery deliveries, socially distant gatherings and my favorite, “drinks to go.” The older kids have mastered the art of the “Google Meet Education,” sitting in front of their Chromebooks in their pajamas and raising their hand with the click of a finger rather than the lifting of limbs. The excitement of returning to in-person learning in September was quickly doused by a series of “close contact” quarantines. It has become a hassle just to go to school, amid app-based screening tools and confusing schedules. Students are not able to use lockers and must carry with them all personal items, including their coats. So, yeah, my 12-year-old, Trace, stands at the bus stop without one. Rebecca is fortunate to go to preschool three full days a week, and Trace’s middle school has, at best, been able to pull off daily half-days of in-person learning. He’s at an age where running around with neighborhood kids still counts as a social life. Face-to-face contact with friends and peers is crucial at any age, but it has been most significantly felt by Kylie, 16, and a junior in high school. She watched last year as some of her friends saw their senior year blown to bits by canceled proms, graduations and senior trips. And she’s terrified of losing what’s left of her high school experience. Kylie shops in stores where clothing comes with a coordinating face cover and works her part-time job selling coffee and donuts from behind a plexiglass shield. And, she’s back to playing high school field hockey and softball but has to exercise while wearing a mask and Flash Watersports and Marina 155 NJ-181 Lake Hopatcong, NJ Boat Slips Ships Store Tracker Elite One Dealer “Spending time with your family on a boat is one thing you will never regret.” 973-663-7990 flashmarina.com “The lake is my happy place” “There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” “Life is better on a boat.” 30 LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2021
plays in front of sparsely-filled stands. The journey has made us accustomed to having our temperature taken everywhere we go, and the temporal thermometer sits prominently on the kitchen counter. Every morning that someone wakes up with a sniffle or sore throat results in a panicked rush to check for fever and a rundown of a memorized symptoms list. “Do you have shortness of breath? A cough? Chills? Body aches? Loss of taste or smell?” Then comes the agony of deciding whether the results of such an analysis means a doctor call, doctor appointment, COVID test, quarantine or any combination of those things. Or… is it just allergies? Turns out... some of those symptoms were because of COVID-19 for Kylie, setting off a 14-day quarantine for the rest of us, testing, more cancelled classes and a flurry of notifications, phone calls and emails. It was bound to happen sooner or later. It hasn’t been all bad though. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually put on makeup in the last year, I’ve expanded my legging and yoga pants wardrobe, and wearing a mask comes in handy for covering up random zits. My day job in New York started paying for round-trip Uber rides when most of the transit services shut down. Not only that but being in the middle of a pandemic has legitimized those of us who were already wiping down bus seats and shopping cart handles, and opening restroom doors with paper towels. It’s become acceptable to slither in and out of a store hidden behind sunglasses and a mask without having to interact with anyone. We have hit all the stops and starts along the way. Schools have finally gone back to full time. Proms, graduations and other events are in the works. Theaters are opening. We’ve rejoined the local socially distant gym. Even though some indoor dining has returned, for those of us still not totally comfortable, the outdoor seating is popping back up with the warmer weather. Grandma and Grandpa got their vaccines, and we are in the process of getting ours, too. It’s just not clear whether all of the sacrifices of the last year truly made a difference in the long run. We still don’t know the long-term physical effects on those who were infected, nor do we know the true impact the pandemic will have on the education and mental health of our youngest generation. Life may never completely return to the way it was before, and we have no choice but to accept that. Have you been thinking about selling your home? The market has never been this hot! We have buyers and can help you sell your home. This summer is the perfect time to make your move. H HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY H Remember and Honor Karen Foley, REALTOR ® Sales Associate c.973.906.5021 karen.foley@sothebysrealty.com LOCALLY KNOWN. GLOBALLY CONNECTED. Robin Dora, REALTOR ® Sales Associate c.973.570.6633 njlakefront@gmail.com www.luxurylakepointe.com Each office is independently owned and operated. Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty 670 Main Road • Towaco, NJ 07082 Office 973.335.5700 • prominentproperties.com lakehopatcongnews.com 31
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Memorial Day 2021 Issue

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