It’s time to leave the bunkers.
The crisis hasn’t passed. People are still getting sick. But, the economy is in shambles and people can’t take the isolation anymore. So ready or not, here we come.
At least, some of us. In waves. No tourists, per say. I’m not sure I’ll tour guide again until next spring, leaving me a big zero for 2020.
But I plan to walk around the memorials today. I’ve missed them after 10 years of walking with tourists, talking about our iconic images. Oh, I’ve spent the last two months converting my Lincoln assassination and Mount Vernon tours into online history lessons for teens, but it’s not the same.
I miss being among the marble stones of history, walking the the streets of my hometown. We lost spring and summer doesn’t look a whole lot more promising, but at least we can start rebuilding our lives.
I look forward to not having to wear a mask that makes my glasses fog up. Popping into a store to buy something quickly. Shaking hands with people. I’ll do what needs to be done, but I miss the old days.
Before March, I’d never heard the terms social distancing, zoom and coronavirus. Now, they’re part of our everyday lives.
History will remember this time long after we’re gone. Maybe some guide will talk about us, of the great COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. I want to be remembered, but not like this.
Hopefully, I’ll see you soon. At least, from six feet away.
