It’s the summer kickoff – better weather and a vacation state of mind.  Memorial Day 2020, however, will be memorable for many of the wrong reasons.  There is no baseball.  No parades or amusement parks.  No concerts or camping.  No crowded beaches or busy barbecues.  Instead, there will be the Covid cookouts – socially distanced and slightly surreal.  

Normally, still sporting my winter body, I would be packing for a Newport weekend. I’d always include a selection of red, white and blue clothing.  Preppy nautical tops with white jeans are my go-to.  And I would treat myself to a pedicure to celebrate summer.  Sean would also be sporting his blue, white and red – blue denim cutoffs, white legs and a red Solo cup.  We would be spending the holiday at the Newport Yachting Center with our boating friends.  Not this year.

In Newport, I like to shop, grab an iced coffee, maybe tour a mansion or read my book.  I’m an introvert and value my alone time.  Then I catch up with the crew.  We start happy hour a little bit early (hey, it’s a holiday weekend and only five hours until five o’clock) and sometimes see a beautiful sunset over the harbor.  You could call it a red, white and booze type of weekend.  There may or may not have been an order of more than a dozen pizzas to the dock around midnight.  Thanks, Mike!  But not this year.

Insert eye roll here.  Would you like some cheese with that whine, I’m sure you’d like to know.  Right, these are first-world problems at their finest.  And might I even say privileged ones, too.  Petty problems.  I’m embarrassed to admit to them and yet I do anyway.  Complaints over what could have been, when many people have it so tough right now.  

This year, we were supposed to attend Caroline and Jay’s wedding over the holiday weekend.  Caroline is Sean’s pretty and sassy cousin, and it promised to be a great time.  Sean’s parents were coming from South Carolina and his sister Dawn from Mexico.  It was going to be like a family reunion.  Another life event put on hold.    

This Memorial Day we’ll take the boat to the Connecticut shoreline. Rhode Island isn’t ready for us quite yet.  I need to pack gloves and masks along with sunscreen and towels. I will still be sporting my red, white and blue attire.  We’ll stock the cooler, have burgers and fly the flag. 

It’s a weekend to relax, rejuvenate, and remember.  Remember a time before distance learning, store shortages and shipping delays.  Remember a time before we knew about that spiky Covid ball.  Remember why we celebrate Memorial Day.

We celebrate those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.  Heroes.  And today’s heroes are not just in our military but are also first responders, essential workers, medical personnel, hospital workers, dentists, veterinarians, nursing home caregivers, cashiers, store employees, delivery people, truckers, letter carriers, sanitation workers, mask makers, teachers, those who are teaching from home and those who are making it work from home.  

When I feel disappointed about how this summer won’t be what I planned, I realize it’s okay.  It’s okay to be upset about cancelled vacations.  It’s okay to be aggravated that my hair now needs its own zip code.  It’s okay to be annoyed by your kids.  I’m never annoyed by mine – but wondering how soon that summer camp might start?  Asking for a friend. 

It’s even okay to be bothered by a darned puzzle.  That’s right, on Instagram someone said she was stressed over a puzzle she didn’t complete.  I get it.  That thing is staring at you, taunting you to finish what you started.  Kind of like that work on the winter body I was doing.  And didn’t finish.  But that’s another post.  And now I’m worried that Sean isn’t going to love that “white legs” comment.  Also, for the record, he does not wear Wrangler jeans.  Apologies.

I feel guilty complaining about my inconveniences when there are long lines at food banks, people are still sick and dying, and I have students who have never even seen the ocean.  I try to do good in my daily life but am aware that I am quite lucky and need to find ways to give back to others.  Maybe this blog is my small way of trying to brighten someone’s day – hopefully yours!

After last year’s Memorial Day, a student told me she went to a cookout.  She said it was the kind where “the adults drink out of those red plastic cups.”  I said I wasn’t sure what those were but it sounded like a good time.  And we will find plenty of ways to have a good time this summer.  So, lift a glass to our heroes this weekend…here’s to sunnier days ahead. Cheers!