Spring...

So…it’s been spring for well over a week. For some reason, however, I really felt it today. I smelled it. I saw it in flowers and I smelled it in my forest. It was a little bit warmer today and I smelled it in the air. Although fall has always been my favorite season, I’ve appreciated spring in past years because of blooming flowers and extra bugs. I was reminded, though, that things are different now. As I reached the end of my daily walk, I passed by the market where I expected to buy produce later in the day and I was reminded of our new reality. There was a line of people waiting to go inside and they were being greeted and escorted in by young people wearing gloves and holding bottles of hand sanitizer. Once inside, the vibe was weirdly a little peaceful until you took notice of the empty shelves, devoid of paper products, soup, or canned vegetables. And then it kicks in and you remember that you should move quickly and get your shopping done as fast as possible while avoiding other shoppers. A woman sneezed into her elbow about 6 feet from me; I turned and walked away while holding my breath and praying that I hadn’t inhaled any of her droplets. When I finally got to the checkout line, I noticed the strips of masking tape that had been placed on the floor as markers so that customers wouldn’t stand too close to one another. Although it shouldn’t be shocking at this point, it’s mind boggling how much the simplest things have changed. Going to the market is now a super stressful event and one never knows if they’ll even have the items you’re looking for, while coming home and putting groceries away and disinfecting and sanitizing and washing hands…you just hope you’re doing enough.