Graduation 2020 Style

We were awakened at 5am by a flash of lightning and an almost simultaneous clap of thunder that practically lifted us from our beds. I was glad to be roused from one of those semi -conscious dreams in which I was convinced I was suffering from a detached retina, but not so relieved that I was able to go back to sleep. The weather has put paid to evening outdoor plans, but with nothing much on the books it was easy enough to postpone plans until tomorrow....

I had to drive to the big letterbox in front of the local Safeway because I had an envelope to mail that wouldn't fit into our fancy new mailbox in the section designed for mail pick-up. Rather a  glaring oversight, in mailbox design, but it didn't occur to any of us to check that particular feature when our neighbor offered to order new ones.  The parking lot was busy and I only saw one person without a mask...a teenager who was trying to tie his sweatshirt over his face, an attempt that apparently didn't work because he was headed away from the store empty-handed as I walked back to my car.

Driving home through the nearby neighborhood I saw lots of front yard displays like the one posted. Yesterday was graduation day for the local high school, but the traditional ceremony was not to be because of pandemic restrictions. Instead, they had a drive thru ceremony. The graduates wearing caps, gowns, and black masks that said Class of 2020, walked one at a time across a stage, as they always have, but there were no cheering families in the stands. They were watching from their cars which entered the parking lot in carefully timed groups. The gloved principal handed out the diplomas as Pomp and Circumstance played in an endless loop. It must have taken ages and was quite a heroic effort for the principal.

According to signs posted on numerous street corners, there was a 'graduation rally' this morning when cars drove through the neighborhood past the homes of the graduates, decorated with the hand made signs the parents would normally have carried into the stands, and official posters and senior portraits prepared by the school. 

It was probably disappointing for many students, who are no strangers to disruptions and distractions. Since 2017 when fires burned down the homes of many in this class, their education has been interrupted by power outages, evacuations, and now an unseen virus. They have accepted their lot with resignation and acknowledged that everyone is doing the best they can....

Having sat through the graduations of both grandsons at the same school, it is just possible that, while far from traditional, for the graduates this year's observances of their rite of passage was probably more fun....

In other news...I am unable to formulate a response to the violence that is beginning to engulf the country except to say that it is yet another indicator that the country is coming apart. With a president who incites violence and a community that has been enslaved and ignored since its founding, it is only a matter of time. I wish I could even conceive of an answer....