As the "school year" winds down, our thoughts turn to summer. Summer, a word so often followed by "camp." A time I had been particularly looking forward to as it was to be the first time that I would get up in the morning, pack up the 3000 things and the kids, and take them both to the same place, drop them off, and not pick them up again until the late afternoon. For the first time since they were both born, there would be no mid-day childcare responsibilities. No multiple drop-offs and pick-ups. No wondering who would be covering that last critical hour or two of the workday. A glorious dream.
But, now, reality has intruded, and not at all in a way that I could have expected. Our camp is still sending out lots of emails. Almost daily, it seems, I get a reminder about forms that need to be filled out. Or, a survey to complete. Would I feel more comfortable if the campers wore masks? How about the staff? I managed not to write in the comment box "Do you remember how your business model is predicated on teaching 5-year-olds how to swim?!?!?"We haven't actually withdrawn them from camp yet, as that feels very sort of definite. But, it is almost impossible to see how we would send them. On the one hand, I feel bad that they will miss camp, Lemon went to this camp last year and loved it, and Lime was very much looking forward to going. On the other hand, I think it's safer for them and for us if they don't go. And, honestly, they are so happy here at home right now that I think they will have a great summer. They can't learn to swim in a kiddie pool in our back yard, but they can have a lot of fun.
Lime is very sad about not having his birthday at the beach this year, but he keeps saying reassuringly to himself that we will still celebrate it, even if we are here at our house. I somehow suspect that as long as there are sufficient Transformers delivered on the big day, he will find a way to enjoy it.And so, this new version of our life rolls along. Home haircuts. Home-made donuts. Yard work. Oh, and a virtual relay race instead of the real relay race that I was supposed to do this weekend. A work step-count contest that I might be slightly competitive about. A weekly box from a farm instead of the farmer's market. Dreams of the beach and all the friends and family that we can't see right now. But, the weather is getting nice, the seeds are sprouting, and we're watching and waiting to see what happens next.
