Sorting out a weird spring

The calendar tells me that I went on a cruise in March, and, as I recall, I had a very good time.

Of course, that was just a few days before COVID-19 burst onto the scene — kicking in our collective front door and propping its feet up on our couch.

It’s still here, too, eating our food and making toilet paper disappear. It’s funny, but I think it can bend time as well.

For example, has there ever been a month that felt any longer than April? Not just because of the things that were missing (school, prom, baseball, etc.), but because of the new stuff we had to deal with like masks, stay-at-home orders and the break down of the national supply chain.

Yet, time has played some other tricks on me the past few months. When I wasn’t paying attention, my son became a high school graduate. He got accepted at Wake Tech, and we spent 30 minutes in front of the whiteboard trying to sort out his fall schedule.

I don’t know if I could have been really ready for that, but this spring has left me more unprepared than I might have been.

It hit me hard when they called my son’s name on Main Street in Four Oaks during the parade honoring South Johnston’s seniors. I was proud, happy and surprised, somehow, at how fast it all happened.

My body handled the emotional malfunction the only way it could — tears.

I’m blaming the virus. Nobody likes it anyway.