Friday we experienced our first significant snowfall of the season. Roads were treacherous. So I postponed plans with the person I’ve been seeing. It’s more important that we both be safe than risk a car accident. Especially now, when hospitals are full of COVID patients. Thankfully, some fully vaccinated friends live nearby and were willing to walk a few blocks through a blizzard to play Mario Party with my kid and me. What a lovely way to kick off the weekend.
In that same vein, I want to be charmed by stories like “Trapped in Ikea: snowstorm in Denmark forces dozens to bed down in store” or “Dozens of strangers were snowed in at a U.K. pub.” But these weather events bring the climate crisis to mind. Which is the root cause of the devastating tornadoes that tore through the Southern US this weekend. The death toll is rising. In personally devastating news, a good friend is going into hospice care. He’s only 40. The last 16+ months he has been managing Stage IV cancer. A few of us will be having a zoom visit with him in a few days.
With so much bad news, it can be tough to keep my chin up and forge ahead. But I’m trying. In professional news, I am volunteering as a mentor in the A11Y NextGen program: “Our mission is to help people in the early stages of their accessibility journeys learn and grow together in an ally support group.” But I’m also working on my own professional growth. I’ve started studying for certification from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals. I’ll be taking two separate exams early next year.
Before that, the holidays. Feels like we are bobsledding right into them at high speeds this year. Every year I have the intention of buying zero holiday gifts but I still pick up a few. Nothing extravagant. And mostly food or beverages or experiences (hoping it will still be safe to take my son on that trip in March). Next weekend we’re going on another double date with a pair of our mutual friends. That’s the advantage of dating someone you’ve known for decades through the local and fairly small music scene.
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