I don’t feel worthy of acknowledging the things I miss from pre-coronavirus times

… Because I still have a job. Because I am healthy, and don’t have sick family members or friends to worry about. But I still grieve the loss of normalcy.

And I miss so many things!! Seemingly unimportant and very customary parts of living in normal society. I miss going into a shop to look around and touch clothes and ornaments. I miss going into local (and large chain) coffee shops to get myself a latte and sit down to read or write in a distracted manner because IT’S SO DAMN LOUD. I miss having the option of going out to dance with my friends, and then only making plans to do so every four months because going out is exhausting and the fuzzy brain you end up for a full two days after almost always requires using a sick day on Monday. I miss being able to run or walk past someone on the sidewalk without doing this weird shoulder-hunched lean into the outer perimeters of pavement. I miss scrolling through the Stranger’s list of things to do this week, and bookmarking interesting poetry readings or art exhibits. I miss so much!

We are suffering from the big things, yes. Sickness, loss of life, loss of jobs, loss of economic stability.

We are also suffering from the loss of the little things that make it wonderful to be a person living amongst other people. The loss of these matter so much. They are not little things- they are the little things that help me thrive and keep me connected to myself and to other fellow humans.