The New Change

 

Clearly I have used the term “new normal” way too much in this blog. But “new normal” in many cases is the best and only term to describe the times I'm currently moving through. Saturday had been relatively uneventful. Aside from Annette showing up in the morning for housekeeping the building of a loaf of banana bread was the most significant event of the day but it was enough. After all, banana nut cake is a treasure to have and a treasure to behold. I've been a little traveling around that day some like shopping I am trying to limit my time and exposure to other human beings right now. But I guess the point I'm laboring to make is that even though I had done little I was kind of tired laid back in my chair watching “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume two” for I did know how many times I've watched this film and I do not seem to get tired of it. I now use the movie is background noise to have playing in the background while I do various tasks around the apartment. However, my phone rang and it was Mark Anthony, I was a little bit surprised because usually just texts. He told me he was in the neighborhood and if it was okay Mark would like to stop for a short visit which is more than okay with me. I didn't even make up a fast list of things for him to do all he was here that I could not physically do. Well, having said that, that's not altogether true but while Mark was here I had him reformat part of my cell phone.

Shortly after his call there was a knock on my door and there he was. He was looking okay. Mark is going to that midlife phase where he can put on weight lose weight relatively easy. He was in Salt Lake visiting some of his friends one of which worked at a local restaurant which would be getting off work soon and they would meet up. I guess I'm a convenient place to lay low for things like that which is great for me. I get to have them in my orbit or I in his for what little bit of time we can do. Did not take us long to switch our conversations in general salutations to the big news of the weekend of the Commander-in-Chief's placement at Bethesda Walter Reed medical Center for Covid 19! Were both being careful not to celebrate the event too much even though we discussed something similar to this the week before in one of those “wouldn't it be weird…” Comments and now it was in fact it is weird. We discussed this, Mark fixed my cell phone and soon was apologizing for having to leave so soon. I assured him I was okay with that, his leaving so soon. In fact his leaving worked out great in that I was allowed to get back to “Guardians of the Galaxy” which had watched a dozen times. Had I been thinking I would've had the Mark dig out the paper jam in my printer but that didn't happen just as well. Then he was gone. I was comfortably back into my movie when I realized we had not hugged before he left and we always have an awkward hug. It's always difficult hug anybody who is standing if you are a your person in a wheelchair. Because the virus we of course have not been hugging, forgoing the elbow bump which is really dumb. Like I said is not a giant big deal is a big deal. We didn't even think about hugging this time and perhaps that's safe more than that probably just another sign of the new normal…