2020 Will Be A Year Of 20/20 Hindsight

Suddenly, this summer got hot. Some places have had flooding and even tornadoes. Now the forecast is for “unsettled weather.” Good. That sounds more normal.

In these parts we expect hot weather and rainstorms each summer but usually not so much at once and this early. Isn’t August when it gets hot and dry?

You might blame global warming for the spell of hot weather but remember that it’s 2020 when nothing seems to be normal. I suspect that “2020” will become a synonym for disaster or calamity – anything not normal. An example would be, “That road project is really becoming a 2020.”

Did you ever think so many people would be put out of work by a virus? Or having to wear a mask while shopping or working? How many times have you answered the questions about being exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms? What a job it must be for the one asking the questions. I’ve been asked so many times, I almost have them memorized. Recently, I was asked, “Is your answer ‘no’ to all the Medicare COVID-19 questions?” Who could say no to that?

You also might want to have a family discussion about answering COVID-19 questions.

“OK, kids. Listen up. When you go to the dentist today they will ask you a bunch of questions about how you feel. They’ll take your temperature and might ask if you have a sore throat. Remember, the answer is ‘no.’ The same with other questions. The answer is ‘no.’ Got that? If you answer ‘yes,’ you will have to stay inside for two weeks. You want that? You also have to listen closely for a question like ‘Do you feel OK today?’ That answer is ‘yes.’ They might ask you that just to test you.”

To be fair, you should ask your kids daily how they feel so when they answer questions at the dentist or doctor they will be honest. You don’t want to aid the spread of a nasty virus by being untruthful. But you also don’t want to have to explain how Jimmy suddenly remembered that cough he had a year ago.

Our church has now been closed since before Easter. I doubt if it has been closed this long since it was built more than 160 years ago. I stopped in to check on the computer network on the hottest day. The heat was oppressive and it felt stuffy, like being in the hay mow of a big dark barn. The sanctuary seemed to be forlornly asking why everyone had abandoned it. Well, as I remember being taught, church is not a building. It’s the people. They just meet on Zoom now.

I checked to see if any candles had melted. The wax candles had been removed. The remaining candles were battery-operated or oil-based tube candles. They all looked real enough and heat would not wilt them. We have a wise altar guild.

I did find that the air conditioning in the room with our network equipment was failing. I’ve learned that you can’t just leave a building alone during a pandemic. Maybe in 1860 but not today. There’s just too much sensitive equipment now.

We hope to start having services in the church building again sometime soon. But right now, based on recommendations from the diocese, that means holding services outside. Even on a Sunday morning with perfect weather, it’s still a lot of work to set up a PA and chairs carefully spaced apart. It could be raining. If it’s hot like it has been, forget it. And forget about singing. Singing is too dangerous these days.

Catherine and I ate dinner at Perkins recently. The small number of customers sat at alternating tables or booths, all of which were devoid of any of the usual condiments. Even with the small number of customers, they were short-staffed, noticeable by the constantly ringing telephone that no one would answer.

The staff wore masks, as we did entering and leaving. They asked for my name and phone number in case they needed to do any contact tracing. That seemed not to be overly reassuring but was the right thing to do these days.

We are learning a lot as we muddle our way through this pandemic. The phrase “hindsight is 20/20” probably will never be more accurate after this year when we look back and see all the things we did wrong.

I hope somebody is taking notes.