This was the year we thought we might return to normal. But instead we surfed a series of waves triggered by the pandemic. Winter. Second wave. Mask on. Socially distance. Springtime. Vaccination. Breathe. Summer. Third wave. Mask on. Outdoors. Autumn. Pandemic plateaus. Breathe. Boosted. Fourth wave. Mask on. Socially distance. Still surfing.
Here are some of my highs – the things that carried me from one wave to the next – in 2021.
Scratching Puppy’s tummy as he lay on the floor in my office
Talking with Krista while we sat in our matching green chairs
Attending a virtual reunion of Hempfield High School’s Scholastic Quiz team
Reporting for Quartz about the pandemic in South Africa
Krista’s getting to Boston to see a cardiologist
Eyeglasses that help me see the computer screen clearly
Chewy naan from Little Punjab in Hilton
A blue sweatshirt from Jonsson workwear
Pfizer dose 1
Pfizer dose 2
Driving to Pittsburgh after being fully vaccinated
Finny
Apple AirPods Pro
Hugging Olympus
Playing doubles with Stacy, Dan and Josh
Landing a full-time job
An air conditioner for the window in the living room
Walking with Maddie to The Public Theater on a sticky summer evening followed by dinner at Eataly
New socks
A ferry ride with Mom to Rockaway Beach followed by happy hour at Eataly
Two monitors
Krista asking me to get her a chai tea at Ground
Listening to songs that I think Dad would have liked
Discovering Cederberg Merlot Shiraz and realizing with Krista how much we like it
Sneaking blueberries to Saxa
Plunging into the pool with Krista
Brunch with Maddie, Andrew and Katie in Sheep Meadow
The red desk chair that I bought at Midlands Mall
Going to Natal Nurseries with Krista
A brush good morning from Tesse
Pfizer dose 3
Finding N95 masks with ear loops
Finding panagrams on the Times’ “Spelling Bee”
Thanksgiving morning with Dan, Stacy, Andrew, Katie, and Maddie
Morning walks with NPR’s “Up First” podcast
An AeroPress travel kit
The trees coming down in Mondi
Three straight weeks of pizza and Merlot Shiraz for dinner