What’s Missing?

If you’re like me, 2020 was a pretty consistent season of losing things … not so much physical items, although there are a few of those that seem to have gone AWOL … but personal plans and the ability to live life in a normal fashion.

For me, it began with a speaking opportunity (my first since Clandestiny was published) being “postponed” – to a date that no one could name. Surprisingly, I took the news pretty calmly knowing that it was completely out of my control, but I would still be on the program whenever it happened.

A little harder to take was the loss of a trip that had been planned for a little more than a year. Steve and I had made arrangements to take my sister, her husband, her three kids, their spouses and all their grandkids on a ten-day excursion to Walt Disney World. For the kids, and grandkids, it was to be their first visit. Who would have thought that Disney, Universal and everything else in Orlando would close? I certainly didn’t! So, suddenly there was no longer a reason to go: trip cancelled.

March 12th rolled around, and the announcement came from Major League Baseball that they had cancelled the rest of spring training and were delaying opening day for at least two weeks. Well, that was bad enough, but it didn’t take long before it became clear that MLB games probably weren’t going to happen at all. Try to understand that I’ve been a Dodger fan since I was about five. And, for the last five years or so, my husband has spoiled me with season tickets. Now, we don’t go to every game – but sitting on my counter were the tickets for about twenty-two of the games for the 2020 season. Suddenly they were worthless.

Of course, mixed in with all of this was the “social distancing” mandate, the need to wear masks out in public, the closure of restaurants and bars, etc. Then came the news that the writers/speaker’s conference I was registered to attend in July was cancelled – at least the live event … they went virtual. But, when you’re talking the difference between being in a conference center with 700 women or sitting by yourself, at your computer, in your home … well, I’m guessing you’ve probably experienced something similar in the last ten months.

That was the one that started me thinking along a different track … all the things that are missing in my life right now can be viewed from another angle.

What if I start focusing on the day, or days, when the world tilts and everything begins to slide back to “normal”; when what I’ve been missing is restored. What will I be the most excited about? Yes, I’ll be like a kid on the first day of summer vacation when I can attend a Dodger game again; I’m looking forward to being able to speak at the rescheduled event; I love going to Disney parks, both here and in California. BUT I realized that the one activity I miss the most is being with friends at home, or a restaurant, a game or an event and wrapping my arms around them for a hug. I’m a hugger … if you came with me to a Dodger game you’d see that the first thing I do when we get inside the club is hug everybody I know who works there: the bartenders, the guys and girls who serve us when we’re in our seats, the club manager, the lovely woman who cleans the restrooms. Though I’ve been fortunate enough to have family I can hug during this weird season, I want to hug all the others who mean so much to me. All the digital conversations and text messages in the world can’t replace that for me – so, that’s what I’m now looking forward to the most.

How about you?