Amanda Lamb: Pandemic birthdays
So – this is how my brain works these days: We could… Or we could… No, we can’t do that… Maybe we could…No, that won’t work...
Everything you think of doing right now, you can’t. This makes celebrations complicated. By definition, a celebration involves a group of people getting together to honor a person or a holiday. It involves being close—closer than six feet, and sharing food and drinks from a common table in your home.
My daughter’s 17th birthday was this past Wednesday. Her friends celebrated by having a mini-parade in down our street in their cars complete with signs, balloons and music. It was touching to watch, and even more touching to watch her watch it. I was so thankful that her circle of friends was kind enough to do this.
We later had a family dinner followed by presents and a birthday cake. It was different kind of birthday, for sure.
This coming week is my close friend’s birthday and my husband’s birthday. It’s challenging coming up with creative ways to celebrate right now. Zoom is a great option, but it’s not the same as being together.
I’m sure anyone who has a “pandemic birthday” will never forget it. I, for one, will be thankful when we can return to celebrating like the old days...okay, so maybe not exactly like the old days, but something in between what we have now and what we used to do.
The good news is that my daughter didn’t seem to feel cheated by her pandemic birthday. Part of the change that’s happened in our world, in our communities, in our family is that now, more than ever, we appreciate what we have. We no longer need all the things we thought we needed. And that shift, subtle as it may be, frees us. It allows us to focus on what’s really important.
I have a pandemic birthday coming up myself. I’m pretty sure it will involve a long morning run, my family and a homemade cake. And that’s just fine by me...
Amanda is the mom of two, a reporter for WRAL-TV and the author of several books including some on motherhood. Find her here on Mondays.
