I miss coffee shops. I miss the smell of freshly ground coffee, the hissing sound of the milk frother and the thump thump when the barista empties the coffee grounds. I miss the background music and the constant buzz of noise as patrons come and go.
When I first imagined my sabbatical, I thought I’d spend a lot of time writing in cafes and was looking forward to trying out lots of new ones to find the right creative vibe. When I needed a break from writing, I’d read. I had a stack of books waiting for me to have enough time for them. Everything from romantic fiction to Giller short listed books and from philosophy to history And the classics I’ve always meant to, but never read. Before I travelled, I thought I’d sleep late, walk lots and have lots of lunches with friends I’ve too often ignored.
Reality’s been a little bit different. It’s a bit of a good news/bad news scenario.
There is a lot of writing going on. Some of it’s junk, but it’s writing. And once words are on paper, they can be edited, rewritten and polished. So I’m generally happy with that. Unfortunately, it’s all being done from home. I would kill for a new venue, but it doesn’t look like that will be an option for a while still. The stack of books is slowly getting shorter, and I’ve indulged myself with many, many afternoons of nothing but tea and reading.
Even in this third Ontario lockdown, our regional conservation areas remain open, and I have a municipal walking trails and a provincial park on my doorstep, so my Fitbit is racking up the steps. But the most recent rules mean that most of the steps are taken on my own. Still, I’m thankful that we’re allowed to walk at all.
Both indoor and outdoor dining is off limits, so lunches with friends are off the table. We’re back to drinks by video, which doesn’t do much for me.
I got my first dose of a COVID vaccine almost three weeks ago. The second can’t come soon enough for me. Right now, I’m technically due for my second exactly twelve days before sabbatical ends. There’s hope that timing could tighten up, but in all likelihood, it won’t soon enough to allow for even a short trip. Still, my fingers and toes are crossed.
Last year about this time, my Canadian friends were all posting #MeAt20 photos to their social media profiles. I played along, digging up a photo from a family canoe trip. Interestingly, this week, my old Turkish friends have been doing the same, with the slightly different hashtag #20yearchallenge / #20yaşchallenge. I knew them only two years younger than that, so the photos they’re posting are how they’re burned in my memory, even if I have seen them far more recently. It’s kind of bittersweet looking at them.
Back home, it’s been a cool spring, which has been good for the daffodils. It’s meant they have stayed in bloom for a long time, which doesn’t always happen. On the bright side, I can still go through the drivethrough for my java fix and bring it home to look at them through the window.
Coffee cup half full, right?
