"Most useless purchase of 2019:
A 2020 planner."
I've seen this quote floating around social media for that last few months. I don't know who first said it, but it's pretty accurate. 2020 has been a year of cancelled plans.
Several events over the past few months have been canceled for us as a family - fun weekends, dance competitions, concerts, college tours, parties, the list goes on and on. It's been very disappointing for us as it has for many others going through the same thing.
But then came June and the canceled plans are not just disappointing, but heart breaking
June is always an exciting month for us. School is out and summer is here! My daughter and I usually start the month off with a manicure and pedicure to get us ready for summer vacation. After months of dance competitions, my daughter is able to dance just for fun (and to show off) in the end of the season dance recital. After recital is done - it's time for vacation! Our vacation this year was a special one - we were going to visit family in Utah. My 87 year-old dad has been battling cancer and back in March had a difficult five hour surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his neck. Luckily he came through with flying colors and has been recovering well. I was looking forward to seeing him and my mom and the rest of my family and friends. Being back in Utah in the summer is a rare treat for us, as we usually visit at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Every June for the past several years has ended with a dance convention with our amazing dance family. My daughter is able to take classes from world renowned dancers while I get a small writing retreat. Plus we get to hang out and have fun with good friends. It's something we look forward to every year.
But all that was cancelled this year due to the coronavirus.
As I said before, canceling one event is disappointing, but cancelling everything is heart breaking. My heart breaks that we don't get to spend time with our family and friends like we usually do. It breaks that I don't get to see my parents or the rest of my family. It breaks to think that my daughter will be a senior this year and we only have one more year to do these things with her before she goes off to college.
I was feeling particularly down the other night when my husband walked in. Usually I'm the upbeat, optimistic one but this time he took the reins. He reminded me that these events weren't canceled, but postponed. When it's safe, my daughter and I will get our pedicures; we will have recital and our dance convention again next year; and as soon as we can we will travel to Utah and see my family.
It helped to think of things in that respect - as being postponed, not cancelled. We will see our family and friends again. We will travel again. We will make plans again. We just have to be patient.
In the meantime my daughter got to take virtual dance classes from some of those world renowned teachers through Zoom, and I get to talk to my parents whenever I want. We stay connected, we try to make the best of this situation, keeping in mind that it's not permanent.
It's not cancelled, it's just postponed.
Comments