It’s Monday morning over here and as I got up to go to work I had no idea how happy I would feel two hours after getting in my car.
The last time I left the United States was in 2019, October 2019 to be precise and that was to go to the Bahamas to get a new stamp in my passport for visa purposes. I haven’t been back to the UK for over 3 years and by default haven’t seen any of my family for basically the same time.
I don’t miss England, not one bit. I don’t miss where I grew up, I don’t miss anything about England. I don’t even miss the food anymore, I try not to miss any one thing about anything or place, it’s a coping mechanism of sorts. I do miss people. A lot.
One of the things that we considered when moving over here was that if there was an emergency, we could be back in 24 hours, we might not be there for the start of the emergency, but we would be there soon. The last 2 years we haven’t been able to be.
When we moved to Florida, we were never that short of visitors either. I mean we live in Orlando, people want to come here regardless of us living here, but we got visitors and it makes the missing people easier when you do get to see them.
COVID took that from us and many others in the same situation as us. More than a handful of people we know (including me) missed funerals of people they loved dearly, even more missed family members growing up. Grandparents not being able to see their grandchildren grow. I don’t pretend to be able to describe how that has affected each individual person or family, but I know how it has affected my family and I.
The world pre COVID was a much smaller place. 8 hours on a plane and we can be reunited. COVID turned the clock back for people like us 50 years. It kept families apart needlessly. At first for a few weeks, then months and as of September 19th 2021, years. Facetime and Zoom serve a purpose, but it’s not the same, in fact it’s far from the same. In many ways it makes things worse.
I like to have an element of control in my life, if there is a problem I try to fix it. I couldn’t do anything about this. Just put a brave face on and it will come to an end soon enough, hopefully before we lose anyone else or anything major changes. Laura doesn’t know this until probably now, but I wrote letters and emails to my congressman, I messaged the reporters in the White House briefing room thanking them for asking questions, I researched third country routes into the US. I tweeted the President, the head of the CDC and FDA. Shit I even found out the email address of the Head of the CDC and emailed her directly. Begging for an update at first, then for an answer as to how this was “Following the Science”
I spoke to my Dad about it this very morning on the way to work and how it was starting to really weigh me down. It was making me depressed.
Right now though I am not depressed. It’s over. In one hour and 17 minutes this unscientific, cruel ban on fully vaccinated people coming to the US is over. I won’t be seeing people next week, or even next month, but I will be soon. I can make plans, I can tell my kids they will be able to hug their Grandparents and cousins soon and while we still cant leave the US (Damn Visa issues!) the end of this is in sight.
Everyone has been impacted in the worst possible way by the last 2 years, everyone has a story of losing someone or something. I know my family, both immediate and extended have. Today it feels like finally after so so long we have gained something. It doesn’t give us back the things we missed, but it gives us a chance to not miss anything else.
Today, September 20th 2021, is a good day.
The Shroders in Florida 