“Sunday Night Funk” is defined as the feeling of dread one has before the start of the work week. As someone who has high anxiety it is a feeling I often get. I pace around the house and pester family members as they are slowly getting ready for the week. Last night’s “Sunday Night Funk” seemed to be worse than normal. Not only is there a bunch of work waiting on my desk, but today is going to be the first in-person class of 2021. And there will be more. Honestly I think I realized I am not ready for it.

Okay, I realize that just about every person around the world is ready to slap me up my head for even suggesting I am not ready to get back to normal. I too am I excited about hanging out with friends, going on vacation, being about to chill with my students, getting my research lab to 100%, and not worrying about what a “contiguous state” state is. I am foaming at that the mouth to get the vaccine and looking forward to a summer of adventure, camping trips, and walking around without the weight of living with a pandemic.

I also understand that this pandemic has been harmful to many people disproportionately. Large numbers of people have lost lives. This pandemic has not hit us all equally. For someone this was just an annoyance and for others it was life and death. Do you remember the lines of people trying to get food from the food bank? I am willing to bet that is still going on, its just not on the news any more. We need to find a way for this all to end.

There were personally some scary moments during this pandemic.

But…. Isn’t there always a but?

1. I love Love LOVE the fact that Rosie bursts into my office every day around 3:45 to tell me about her day at school.
2. I don’t want to commute for three hours everyday.
3. I don’t like driving all the time.
4. I don’t like taking the train.
5. I like that I am getting 8 hours of sleep everyday. (still working hard just don’t have 3 hours of commute)
6. My desk in bedroom is SUPER comfortable. I have gotten used to it.
7. I love being able to get my students in a breakout room working on a problem and running over and giving my wife a kiss on the head while she works.
8. I love being able to get my students in a breakout room working on a problem and running over and giving Pepper a pepper.
9. I love being able to get my students in a breakout room working on a problem and running over and picking up Fred and petting his Belly
10. I love being able to get my students in a breakout room working on a problem and running over and making some Tuna for Boo!
11. I love being able to make my own lunch
12. I love that we play softball.
13. I love that we go bike riding whenever I want.
14. I love that I learned how to skateboard
15. I love that Colleen and I are super happy…Seriously happy
16. I love that Rosie wears a physics tee shirt 80% of time, We have been spending a lot of time together.
17. I love that I can go in and out of work so I don’t miss family time.
18. I love that I have been watching my hero Academia with Rosie
19. I don’t mind teaching online (although I do prefer in person)
20. I don’t like wearing pants. I wear shorts almost exclusively, if it gets cold I turn on a space heater. Who wears pants any more?
21. I love I can hug a family member at any time of the day.

The NYTimes reports this morning that only 16% of the people in the country are vaccinated although 28% have had at least one shot. I will be joining that rank shortly. But I wasn’t ready for email this morning letting me know that there was going to swing dances starting next month. I also wasn’t ready for seeing this tiktok this morning.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeyr4N43/

Yes the pandemic is winding down. But it still could pack a punch. Consider what the national case load looks like. The numbers are still low, but they are starting to rise again.

I want to say this: THIS PANADEMIC HAS BEEN A BAD THING, but there has also been some good to come out of it. We have been forced to slow down. We need to learn from this moment and protect our future. Lets not get lost in this moment.

(Super generalization here) New Yorkers run their lives like Delta runs their airplanes. Everything is perfectly choreographed so things work in their most efficient way. There is no unnecessary down time for a plane. As soon as it is tested its back up in the air. With our 60+ hour work weeks, long commutes, and the seven days a week of after-school activities for our children (piano, soccer, etc), we too have found a way to choreograph everything. Of course until something happens to disturb the system. For Delta it is rain, or snow, or wind. For us, it’s life. Once that bad thing happens everything completely collapses into a giant mess. I don’t want that for me, Colleen, Rosie, or anyone.

I want to figure out a way to keep this slow pace. I haven’t figured it out yet. I am not ready to be thrown back into the pit of super fast paced American life.