Today I spent some time on my computer. I found a number of unpublished, unfinished blogs. This one made an impact on me, so much so that I did a quick update. Note that part one and two take place exactly 18 months apart. My, oh my.

Synonyms for Twilight Zone:

• borderline case
• dream world
• grey area
• hallucinatory state

Part 1: April 18th, 2020

“Thanks for the virtual Easter gift, Mom. I’m so sick of all the virtual this and virtual that. When will things be normal again? This feels like the twilight zone”.

“Yeah, Steph,” I say,  “It does indeed feel like a twilight zone and I don’t know when things will be normal again.”

My little innocents, my grandchildren, live in this twilight zone. No school, no excursions, no family dinners. No outdoor park afternoons, no browsing through the candy store, no playdates. No Gammy or Gampy. No cousins, friends, no school-mates. A nightmare world.

“How did this happen, Gammy?” I am asked.

“I don’t know exactly, Dear-hearts,” I say, “but I heard it came from rats. It was unexpected. We were ill-prepared. It hasn’t happened in a very long time; not since 1918. I heard it came from rats then too, unexpectedly, and the world was ill-prepared.” 

In this time of pandemic we experience twilight 24 hours a day. 

The innocents don’t understand the twilight but they feel it. 

The full light will come, Dear-hearts. I don’t know when but the full light will come. You will feel it.

Part 2: August 18th, 2021

A year and a half later my daughters ask, “Is the Delta variant dangerous?”

“Yes,” I say, “it can spread more easily and cause more severe illness than the previous variants. The world is ill-prepared.” 

Will we have a normal Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, they wonder?

I hope so, Dear-hearts. I hope so.

Kids are starting school on September 7th. They will be required to mask during all indoor activities. 

My younger daughter is getting married in October. The venue has changed several times and masks will be required. Limit, 50 people, staff included. 

An Ontario health official announces, “Its going to be a tough fall and winter. I want to prepare you now. A booster shot will be given to those at risk. Studies are being done to determine if children under 12 can be safely vaccinated.”

It’s going to be a tough fall and winter? Did he really say that? What the hell?

“It’s still twilight, Dear-hearts,” I say, when speaking with my daughters, “We must come to accept this twilight way of life for a little while longer.”

The full light will come. I don’t know when but the full light will come, Dear-hearts. You will feel it.