In Real Life

*Photo Credit: My daughter Nadia, captured the photo of Harry blowing kisses to the crowd while he sang Adore You

Zoom fatigue is real. Events moving to online or just cancelled. Happy hour over zoom, birthdays on the computer, playing random trivia with everyone in their own homes. The past two years have been exhausting. While there was some sense of relaxation realizing you never really had to leave the house, it got a bit lonely, we weren’t meant to live in tiny groups or alone.

Recently, it feels like life is coming back to a bit of normalcy. Because we have spent so much time online staring at our screens the activities that have returned have become more special. Over the fall, I was able to experience the joy of watching my freshman daughter, Nadia, become a cheerleader, cheering for her high school football team. The excitement of the team sport, watching the students cheer for the team and yelling from the stands when they scored was a fun I haven’t experienced since I was in high school. I was also able to attend a handful of varsity volleyball games watching my niece play. Again, bringing me back to my high school volleyball days, although the rules have completely changed, once I figured out what was going on, I loved cheering her on and watching the teams volley the ball back and forth. Screaming and yelling behind my mask.

I am also happy to have my quieter experiences back as well, including yoga at my favorite studio. While masks are not my favorite and make deep breath practices a bit challenging, coming together in a collective space, sharing the sound of Om with people that share common views and values, is a wonderful connection I have missed.

Most recently, after almost two years of waiting and rescheduling, my sister, my daughter, my niece and I all got to enjoy the amazing Harry Styles in concert. The girls have been fans since the One Direction days, the show was first scheduled for July of 2020, cancelled, then planned for August 2021, cancelled, then finally back on last week.

Along with thousands of other screaming girls, we shared an incredible night. Dancing, singing and watching the adorable Harry, skip and dance around the stage in his mint green pants, lavender sparkle top and suspenders. He was sweet and charming and played all the songs we know and love. The best set was when he sang, Canyon Moon, Treat People with Kindness and then One D’s What Makes You Beautiful. He warned us ahead of time, there was no time to get a drink or go the bathroom, we had about 15 minutes of non stop dancing and the crowd went wild. Harry was the soundtrack to our quarantine, any time I got in the car with Nadia, Harry Styles was cued up.

I know the threat of Covid is still out there and I will continue to wear my mask to all the events. But my thoughts today are of gratitude for being able to experience these activities, with some adjustments, in real life, in actual spaces with people that are enjoying the experience as well.