Does it feel like we keep telling you to “stay tuned” for news that’s worthy of your attention? Well, it does to us… I don’t think we’re alone in our feelings that everything takes longer these days. Why is that? We supposedly have more time? I heard this a lot from my Mom and other retirees – “I just don’t know where the time goes?” You know that old saying “if you want something done, give it to a busy person”? I hated that saying. I AM one of those busy persons (typically) and I struggle with the “NO” word. People come to depend on you and you don’t want to let them down. I know I’m not alone. Guess who I got it from. That’s right. Mom. She’s my hero and role model and one of the most thoughtful, selfless humans I know. As a British boarding school-raised child, she embraces the “Keep calm and carry on” mantra in the most literal sense. This is a woman who would drive herself to the emergency room, go through a myriad of tests to rule out a heart attack, and call us on her way home. No, wait, she’d probably go visit a sick friend first. God forbid she should … Well, we’ve given her the what for on that and now she lives with my amazing sister. We talked yesterday and as I listened to her berate herself for failing to accomplish anything, I recognized the voice in my head. This time, I wanted to be the voice in her head. “Mom, you spent your life, working, raising 5 kids and after Dad left, holding down a full-time job with two more still at home. You accomplished so much…” interrupting, she says “no more than anyone else.” – got that from her too.
Anyway, I’m trying to be kinder to myself and allow for the effort it takes to keep the anxiety and weariness of our isolation at bay. Yes, Rod and I have each other. We’re lucky. But just like everyone else, we used to have friends we’d hang out with on a regular basis. We used to see actual faces in front of us when we performed, we used to think nothing of spontaneously jumping in the car and hitting our favorite restaurants, shops and live music venues. Now that vaccines are soon to be available for everyone, we’re looking forward to a bit less of that isolation, but if you’re paying attention, you know the vaccine isn’t an invitation to go back to “pre-COVID” normal. A lot remains to be seen and though we are extremely hopeful, we know that we’re facing another summer that looks very much like last summer.
Last year we were fortunate to be part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival’s Tiny TOPS program and though we hope to be on their roster again, it’s probably just one day and we loved the idea so much that we hope to encourage more of you to consider hosting a small gathering of friends and family in your back yard, or other outdoor space where folks can socially distance. Live music provided by The Capps duo, trio or band for a sliding scale that you can recoup by charging admission to the show. FIND OUT MORE HERE.