Spend In Good Company
Living the Best Life in Better Days
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has left many people stranded and confused. The sudden change of daily routines and habits have created discord, angry tones, and a fear of social contact and proximity. People wander timidly in grocery stores with facemasks and concerned looks over empty shelves of paper products, staple foods, and their wallets. Jobs have been erased (based on TradingEconomics.com, the percentage has increased to over 14%; a 10% jump, which has been unprecedented and unprepared for by most). Families struggle to acquire household necessities, and trudge through the daily emotional burdens to try and create something worthwhile with their quarantined days. It is a global event that has tested our way of living, our fortitude, and our humanity.
The headline, “Better Days,” reminds me of a song by the rock band, Goo Goo Dolls:
“And you ask me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And designer love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days”
These words should not go unnoticed. We have grown accustomed to “boxes wrapped in strings” and the ability to purchase “designer love and empty things.” However, COVID-19 has taught us to appreciate something precious – the beauty of life and living. It has taught me that life is not about designer love and bought happiness because all these material things are simply tangible. They can disappear in the blink of an eye or the fast wave of a pandemic. We have experienced this disappearance. It is a humbling lesson we must always remember.
My days are numbered, just like everyone else; so, what would I do with my new day once the shops have opened and the roads, planes, and trains are ready to board and release me to the post-pandemic world? I would spend in good company.
Follow me through this new day of hope. Let’s pretend it’s a Saturday, the weather clear and sunny, and the grip of this pandemic finally loosened. I am liberated. I am free, and this is what I would do.
I wake up to the sounds of life: birds whistling in the trees, a dog barking his good morning to neighbors, the occasional car drifting passed with kids ready to jump into the lake they’ve missed for so long. Their summer, dampened by COVID-19, is already half-way over. I smile though, grateful for this new day, this new gift of life given to me so freely. I swing my feet off the bed and wake up my family, eager to venture out into the almost forgotten world of shops, restaurants, and the little things our humanity has created. My first stop is the coffee shop. Oh, the artisan coffee I have missed so much! The Daily Grind in Marietta, Georgia beckons me, inviting me with the aroma of freshly ground coffee, incomparable to the now stale K-Cups and cheap bags of ill-made grounds. Pulling into the parking lot, I see people gathered around waiting to enjoy the invigorating tastes of cappuccinos and lattes (mine is the caramel macchiato!).
There’s something special about this little café today: we sit closely, talking about what we experienced in our separate isolations. There is no 6-feet rule prohibiting strangers from smiling closely, friends embracing, and couples holding hands. The morning coffee creates the smiles in neighborhoods and communities that brighten our days, and now that the shops are open, we all can share that smile we’ve yearned for so much.
Our next adventure is Kennesaw Mountain. This Civil War era battlefield has been closed off to travelers and families for what seems eternity, but today flocks of people walk past the historical cannons and climb up the trails that overlook Kennesaw and the history of this region's rich past.
The beauty of nature abounds. It is a refreshing feeling to be able to walk in its midst, relishing the sounds and smells of summer. The woods are alive. The shade of the trees lessens the heat of the summer day. The ground firm beneath my feet as I take my time, for once in my life, to meander upwards to the crest and appreciate the world around me. No more must I stand apart from my fellow human beings, wary of contact, even hesitant on taking a deep breath for the fear of the virus. Here I breath in deep the wonderful taste of the forests, smiling at other passerby and greeting them heartily, wishing them well and good fortune.
There’s a little spot in downtown Atlanta, Georgia that I have missed immensely. I have always enjoyed good literature and have much respect for the theatrical arts that perform such works that define who we are. One of those great writers was William Shakespeare, and what better way to spend an evening of post-isolation than at the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse on Peachtree Street. With its doors finally open, they are now able to present their postponed comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse is a venue influenced by the old Globe Theater and other London theater buildings that hosted plays for the public. It is designed in a way that enables the actors to mingle with the audience. This very personal and intimate interaction is what makes the Tavern so special. The actors break the “fourth wall,” a term used to describe the invisible barrier between the actors and the audience. This breaking of the fourth wall is exactly what we need due to the frustrations of the pandemic. We must break this fourth wall of isolation and social distancing, just as the actors broke the wall of separation in order to fully interact with their audience. Shakespeare’s Tavern is the perfect place to start.
As with all days, in the end we go home. Our rhythm before the pandemic was of going to work, then crawling back home exhausted, rummaging through the channels for a funny sitcom to ease ourselves from the burdens of labor. But today, we are refreshed. We feel alive because we have been able to experience the closeness of one another. We have been able to share laughs and handshakes, embraces and light kisses. We have been able to take our children to the playgrounds that have been shut down for two months or more. We can play a scrimmage in the park fields without having to see the ugly city signs that tell us to stay away from each other for our safety. Our true safety resides in the closeness of each other, of the embrace and the comfort we receive when we are together as one.
So, instead of binge-watching TV or scrolling endlessly through my phone, I end my day in this new social freedom with a backyard fire, marshmallows on sticks, laughing kids with too much sugar but good times in their systems, my loving family close by my side, invited neighbors, and the beautiful night sky above. If COVID-19 has taught me anything, it is to spend what little money I have in good company. It is to be aware that the most important things in life are not on store shelves or shopping platforms, but standing in front of me, lingering in my neighborhood streets and laughing in theaters or coffee shops. The most important value of life is love. It is to cherish every moment in this tangible life like it was the last, to not take anything for granted, and to live the best life, a better day, right here and now with the ones I love.
About the Creator
James D. Greer
Hi! I am a published writer, singer-songwriter, and U.S. Army veteran of 15 years. I have traveled the world, experienced multiple cultures and communities, and am inspired by human nature and all we have to offer to each other!
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