Birthdays in the New Normal

I've come to the conclusion there are some people who will always find ways to fill their free time, and some people who won't. I tend to fall in the won't be able to fill this free time productively. I'm still (quietly) kicking and screaming my way through the New Normal. People post questionnaires: Are we ready to return to normal? Those who post them (at least in my universe) all say NO WAY! My response is still there has to be a compromise between stadiums filled with people and being trapped in our houses, and if we do leave wearing our masks even when we go outside in our own sealed up cars.

Yes, some people have reason to be extra careful, but I don't feel it is healthy for the rest of us to live in utter fear.

A friend of Melissa's started Birthday Parades as a way of cheering up those in quarantine who had planned to have a birthday party. Mostly aimed at school age children, though I think they stretch the age definition, and I did read about someone turning 100 in a nearby town receiving a birthday parade.

My niece Aimee turned 12 a couple of weeks ago. We participated in her Birthday Parade in my convertible with the top down. A group of us met at a designated time in an empty parking lot. At exactly 1 PM we were on the road. I snagged the second spot in line. The whole adventure lasted 15 minutes (including waiting for 10 to start), but brought many smiles to the birthday girl. We all kept our distance, while making a lot of noise.

It brought many smiles, when it seems these day very few people smile.

UPDATE July 1, 2020: In the end they did 78 birthday parades, ending on June 19th, the last day of school.