Margie's Back!

How on earth did I think I was going to stay off Blip for a few days? I had an appointment to meet Margie today! In person!

Monday was 2 weeks after her second Pfizer. Because of her age (93) and vulnerability, her children (in their 60s) made sure she had what she needed to isolate at home. Our meeting for coffee today was her first in-person social contact since March, 2020.

She didn’t know about one-way paths in and out of shops nor about waiting in line six feet apart. Excited, she entered the coffee shop and walked right up to the counter. I gently explained to her that we need to look at the marks on the floor, marking six feet apart, and that three people were in line ahead of us. We had to find our mark and wait. She was very apologetic and explained to the woman in front of us, laughing, “It’s my first time out of my apartment in 13 months, and I feel like I’m on a different planet!”

When we made it to the front of the line, the barista told us the woman who just left had paid for our coffees to welcome Margie back into the world. (See extra.)

She asked me, “What’s going on in the world?” I told her about the sweeps of houseless people (which moved her to tears) and also about the beautiful young people who are feeding the hungry. They glean, they rescue foods past their expiration dates, they cook (in a big church kitchen), and they feed people. There’s a nine-minute video about their Crisis Kitchen here. For those who complain about "Antifa thugs" and who blame them for graffiti and broken windows--this is what Antifa really looks like.

Added later: I realized I had not seen Margie in person since March 9, 2020: a year and a month to the day. And how the world has changed. Also I realized Margie is 94, not 93. We lost count.