The Tunnel: Escaping the Confines

There are ways I remember the tunnel. They aren’t necessarily distinct, and I don’t always remember them in order. They overlap too, because each designation is based on something specific (seeing friends, politics, school, public health guidelines), but the ways in which the actual timelines overlapped I can only vaguely recall

One important way I think about different parts of the pandemic is how we escaped the confines of our 1,200 square foot house. Getting outside was a big part of our pandemic.

I remember Lollipop Walks, in the early days of shelter-in-place when the play grounds were closed and we only left the house for essential shopping. Every afternoon the kids and I would walk the same loop in our neighborhood, and we started the walk by picking out a lollipop.

We weren’t even wearing masks when we took the first Lollipop Walks (the CDC had told us not to), and I remember how adding them later made it harder to enjoy the lollipops. But we made due. Lollipop Walks were the only way we ventured outside, because the backyard was still a disaster and other public outdoor spaces were closed down. I remember Lollipop Walks fondly, though I also recall sending texts to my friends lamenting the fact that even a f*cking lollipop wasn’t enough to get my kids out of the house without copious complaints. Eventually we added a second, longer loop, to our Lollipop walk repertoire, and that felt momentous.

After Lollipop Walks came Back Yard Play Dates. If the spring of 2020 was Lollipop Walks, then that summer was Back Yard Play Dates. We were lucky to easily fall into two pods – three friends for my daughter and one friend (and his sister) for my son. We packed the shed with art supplies and toys and I bought mats and outdoor rugs and everyone wore masks as they did most of the things they would have done inside, except they did them outside. Playgrounds were still closed at this point, so Back Yard Play Dates were an incredibly treat.

That summer we also spent a LOT of hours in a big park near our home. The playgrounds were definitely closed, but the outdoor spaces were not. We’d pack up lunch and layers and I’d camp out on a big log while the kids ran amok all around me. We bought walkie talkies so they could venture farther and farther afield. Somehow we had barely ventured into that park before the pandemic, but last summer we explores its every nook and cranny. That park will always hold a special pandemic place in my heart.

Then came Playgrounds! In late fall (mid October?) the playgrounds opened and oh my god it was like Christmas came early. Every afternoon friends would descend on the Playgrounds, squealing with joy that there was finally something to do. Kids got to invent their makeshift games while parents got to attempt makeshift conversations. Everyone was rusty but we made due. The Playground orgies lasted well into winter. It was March when we finally got tired of descending upon the Playgrounds – I remember telling someone I had gotten my vaccination appointment there, and chatting with cautious optimism about what summer might hold, or (and here is where we really held our breath) the fall.

The spring of 2021 is harder to categorize. There isn’t the one thing that makes it stand out. As older family members were vaccinated, people’s suffocatingly tight social circles began to loosen. We started seeing my parents inside. In late spring, when the CDC changed its guidance and more friends were fully vaccinated I started seeing friends outside without a mask. This spring is when things started to feel more normal, or at least started to feel like soon they would. We signed our kids up for camp and were promised a full return to in person learning in the fall. Our kids enjoyed 10 days of in person learning in May. My daughter “graduated” from 5th grade. We attended some events for their new schools. We started thinking ahead toward summer and a new school year.

And now it’s summer, with its full day camps and special events. It’s going to go fast, I know that for sure, and I don’t think at the end I’ll remember pandemic specific about how we spent our time. The very prescribed way we got outside during different parts of the pandemic though, those will always be a part of how I remember the tunnel. It was the way we filled our days, it was the way we saw friends and stayed sane. It was really, really important.

How did you get outside during the pandemic?

2 Comments

  1. Thank you.
    The shutdown not seeing anyone in person. My little grand reading to me on social media as part of her schoolwork. 6:30a.m. grocery store runs (so limited other people) with careful lists ensure total time in store would be @15mins wearing double masks. Shortages and price inflations. The huge support of your posts. The fears of violence, politics of hate.

    Fingers crossed for approval of vaccines for younger than 12 year olds PRIOR to start of school this fall! The new more contagious and nastier variants really worry me.

  2. In March and April 2020, we just took walks outside and occasionally stopped in front of someone’s house and chatted. I remember lots of people would be taking walks and we all went out of our way to keep six feet apart. People definitely were friendlier than ever before! I don’t think we let anyone even into our backyard until maybe Memorial Day.

    Like with you, summer 2020 was also the summer of backyard play dates, specifically water balloons. We bought these water balloons that seal themselves when filled so they were very easy to use. And the kids played with them all the time. At that time, my work space was over the backyard and I listened to them throw balloons and blast music (our poor neighbors) all day. My kids also played in the park with our neighbors (they have a nanny crew). We also did a few fun excursions to botanical gardens, trails, beaches, etc. On July 4, my parents starting hosting in their backyard with each household sitting at a separate table. I remember the first time we did it we were so careful regarding sharing pitchers, avoiding clearing one another’s dishes, making while not eating, etc. We definitely relaxed as time went on.

    As summer turned into fall, we continued the excursions and we also started visiting my parents every Sunday and talked about the election. I also started taking walks with friends and we talked about . . . the election and also school.

    Then in December it got scary again and our circle got really small. Around that time we did a lot of excursions to feed animals (ducks, fish, etc.).

    I honestly can’t remember anything that happened in February and March. I think I just complained about everyone cutting in line to get vaccines.

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