Pen-demic

  Tomorrow I will be exactly two weeks out from my second Pfizer shot. For those who are still on the fence about whether to get it, here are my experiences with the process: I received the first shot at the Hy-Vee in Jefferson City. I grew up in Jefferson City and Hy-Vee was “our” grocery store, so going back there for the first shot was trippy. They have a Starbucks now. Also, you can buy Freddy’s Fry Sauce there. That, plus a stomachache, is all that stands out for me after the first shot. Oh, also, the pharmacist told me she liked my pink shoes and I told her they were Dr. Scholl’s, on account of my gnarly bone spurs. We both agreed that it’s surprising orthopedic shoes can be so cute. For my second shot I got super dressed up and wore my leopard print orthopedic shoes (just in case I saw the same pharmacist again). My dad insisted on driving me to Jefferson City. Road trip!!!!!!!!! If you think going back to your hometown and your hometown grocery store is trippy, let me tell ...

We ended our school year with a masked faculty member bringing a black plastic trash bag filled with my fourth grader's belongings out to our car and putting it in the trunk. After a few days I finally worked up the nerve to open the trash bag and found all the sparkly, glittery pink notebooks and folders my daughter had picked out at the beginning of the school year, when she was so full of hope and excitement for school. I sat in the trunk and cried. No matter what we do,  the coming school year isn't going to look like the ones before it. It's not going to be crowded cafeterias with friends talking about their day, or kids guessing the number of Hershey's kisses in a jar at class parties. Whatever normalcy we're longing for our kids to have this year, they're not going to get it, no matter what path is chosen for us, nor what path we choose. Since my kids are in a high-risk category due to my son's asthma and their dad's heart problems, I...