Things I Miss

The good news is that Dr. Fauci is “cautiously optimistic” about a coronavirus vaccine being available by the end of this year or early next year. That’s the best news I’ve heard in months.

The very bad news is that he is also seeing a “disturbing surge” in infections since states have begun to “open.” In fact, the US hit an all-time high a few days ago. No surprise there. While some people behave as if everything is normal again, I continue to behave the same as I have since early March. If anything, it’s probably more important to remain vigilant now, since others may be more careless.

On Day 100 of this series (an arbitrary milestone, since I don’t know what I’m counting), I took stock of things I’ve missed and haven’t missed during the past three months. The obvious big miss is travel – we forfeited one trip that was planned for April and will not be traveling anywhere this year. (It’s probably the first year in more than three decades that we won’t be getting on a plane.)

Socially, I miss Urban Sketchers the most. I miss the friend I had been walking around Green Lake with every Wednesday for the past decade. I miss my family, too: A funeral and a 50th anniversary party – events we would have traveled to L.A. for – both got Zoomed instead.

Compared to some sketchers who have home-quarantined more strictly, I don’t miss sketching outdoors as much as they have. My neighborhood sidewalks are so sparsely used, especially in the early morning, that I’ve been sketching safely and easily all along. But I do miss sketching at parks, downtown, farmers markets, Seattle Center and so many other populated places. I miss sketching people in coffee shops and on the bus. I miss life drawing at Gage.

I miss summer treats that I look forward to all year, like getting fresh local berries at the farmers markets. (I went to the U-District market last week, masked and ready; when I saw the length of the entry lines wrapping around the block, I lost my courage and went home.) I don’t miss the crowded summer events that I tend to avoid even during normal circumstances, but I very much missed the Greenwood Car Show.

I don’t miss shopping, dining out or getting my hair cut. But I miss the simplicity of running ordinary errands like the post office without having to arm myself with mask, gloves and sanitizer.

I miss feeling safe.

What do you miss most?