Today I had lunch with colleagues. We had a lot of fun catching up on what happened in the past two months since our last outing. We chose to eat inside since the humidity was oppressive, even when clouds arrived. Food was pleasant, too. We noticed the husband of a colleague come into the dining room. He has been retired for a long time. He hired me and retired shortly thereafter -- there's a number of lines that could follow that <smile>. On the way out, we walked past his table and I realized that I knew all of the five retirees meeting for lunch -- much like our group of four (three of us are retired). I smiled at the reestablishment of former routines.
In the late afternoon, I went to the evening market with some vendors from the Saturday farmers' market. I came home with some fantastic tomatoes. Before leaving, I spoke with organizers of this community reorganizing project. We chatted about a goal of the Wednesday market that was to link community groups and individuals. I likened it to a tapestry that has unraveled as well as had areas with holes. The former have threads that can be partly rewoven while the later will require all new threads to remake a whole tapestry. It will not look the same -- a new pattern will emerge from the repairs. This metaphor noted that some of the groups involved in the community before the pandemic will have folded, while some of the active players may not return. Groups and people may also return in different capacities. It won't be the same as before, but it will rebuild.
Seeing such local changes slowly coming together feels wonderful. It isn't as easy as just going back to the way things were. They will not be the same as that time again. Work is needed to get things up and running again. When pondering the fabric arts metaphor, a song from a great folk hit my consciousness. The lyrics speak to a similar metaphor. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Weave Me the Sunshine -- Peter, Paul and Mary
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