Today was Graduation Day.
While we anticipated pomp and circumstance, a crummy circumstance decided to toss our well-made plans higher than graduation caps in a bustling gymnasium.
His plans. Your plans. My plans. Everyone’s plans. Canceled. Revised. Put on hold. It doesn’t take 2020 vision to see that 2020 has tried to tangle our tassels. We have all been affected by this pandemic — some of us mildly inconvenienced, others gravely crushed, and the rest somewhere in between. I’m pretty sure the term “unprecedented” gives us the green light to feel how we feel about it.
Exactly 70 days ago, our five-year-old walked out of his preschool classroom for the final time. What we thought was the start of spring break was actually the start of history in the making. COVID-19? What’s that? Dr. Fauci? Who’s he? Zoom? Never heard of it. Stay six feet away from people? You’re joking, right? Disney World is closed? Get outta dodge. Kids will not return to school, like AT ALL? Oh my, $#%+ just got real.
Actually, here’s what is real… KUDOS to our kids. Their resilience deserves a standing ovation. They have taken on this invisible enemy like gold medal champs. Children have stayed home more than ever in their lives. They have not been able to see their friends, hug their grandparents, finish their sports seasons, attend their senior proms, or say genuine goodbyes to their teachers. For weeks and weeks playgrounds have been taped off while movie theaters, bowling alleys, swimming pools, amusement parks, and basically all places designed for kids have been closed for business. They have heard bits and pieces of coronavirus briefings and have sensed the stress and worry of their parents. They have washed and washed and washed their hands to the point of dry, chapped skin.
Yet our youth have pressed onward in their newfound reality. They have adapted to virtual learning, welcomed car parades in lieu of birthday parties, and connected more deeply with their families. They have brightened driveways with sidewalk chalk and spent more time in the sunshine. They have been reminded that boredom stirs imagination and FaceTime has nothin’ on face-to-face.
And bless their hearts, some have accepted they will graduate without a traditional graduation. Class of 2020, you are like no other. You are essential. And your smiles, in the midst of it all, are proof that indeed… hindsight IS 2020.
To our brilliant and beloved kindergarten-bound boy — you will move mountains, and no face mask will ever hide your bluest of blue eyes.