It's been too long old friend !

 

We have all shared quite a year, so much loss and so many sacrifices.  It will probably take years for us to really understand the impact of the pandemic on our families, our society and our future.  Now that vaccination trends are accelerating (I am one shot in, my second scheduled for 3/31!!), we are starting to turn the corner to think about "life after Covid."  One step I have taken in the past month was to start traveling again to get back to the plant in Bakersfield; it has been incredible to be back in Kern County and back with the inspiring Bolthouse Farms family!

On a recent flight back to LAX, I got through security early at ATL and walked out to Concourse E to see Dr. King's Nobel Peace Prize medal.  As many of you know, I have always been very inspired by Dr. King's speech from that event in 1963, and have shred with with teams and have commented about it on this blog over the past 10+ years. (see more at https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-work-of-hope.html)

There are so many emotional moments these days, but I found myself standing in front of the display at the airport, tears in my eyes, just so happy to "be back" visiting my old friend.  This moment triggered me to reflect on all the things/places/people/restaurants I wanted to see and experience again once vaccinations are broadly deployed and we can say we are officially "post-covid."  

I dont know if you have done this, but I actually took a few minutes on the flight and started a "notes" page on my phone that I titled "Post-Covid."  It was stream of consciousness at first, a jumble of ideas ( with quite a number of restaurants in Atlanta and Bakersfield dominating the list) but after a few lines I settled into all the people /places I wanted to visit again and it was interesting what topped the list.

My Aunt Lorraine lives in an assisted living facility in N.J. and has survived the pandemic.  With her advancing memory loss, the phone calls have grown more interspersed and less connected over the past year.  No-one in the family has seen our Aunt over the past year and that needs to be my first stop post Covid.  My other "first stops" that topped my list are visiting my mom and sister's grave in my hometown of Murrysville Pa., and visiting my old boss Bruce's grave in Appleton Wi.  

I hope that as we get close to this "post Covid" reality, we all stay as safe as possible and that we work hard to get our vaccines as soon as we are eligible!  This "light at the end of the tunnel" is not far away and I am already thinking about my visits ( maybe mid summer??) to see Aunt Lorraine and the gravesites of important people from my life!  I hope you build your list, and think about your summer "trips"to reconnect to all the "old friends" that you have missed this year!