My wife and I did something yesterday that we had not done in years. We went to a shopping mall. It was delightful. There was that unique mall aroma of American consumerism; plastic, fabric, and perfume. Hard to describe, but you know it when you smell it.
I know there’s talk of recession and low consumer confidence, but the parking lots were nearly full, stores had plenty of merchandise, and shoppers were carrying purchases. My eyes saw a much brighter economic story than the ones I had heard. I will borrow the old Yogi Berra meme “No one’s going to the mall anymore – it’s too crowded.”
Over the past few days, we reached a few milestones in the return to semi-normalcy. My wife is putting in more work days at her office building and just left on a business flight to D.C. We ate indoors at a restaurant. I shopped maskless at a home improvement store. Those may not sound like much to those of you who chose to enter the post-COVID wild months ago, but for this hyper-cautious couple, they are significant steps.
One or both of us may eventually get a case of the virus. We trust our vaccinations will keep us out of the hospital. We still fear long COVID and will continue to wear a mask in risky indoor situations. But, for now, we are enjoying the newfound freedom.
Thought In Memory Of Thomas Brown
Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly.
Leo Tolstoy
