Normally come Olympic year, I love to watch as many of the competitions as possible. I like to see if the favourites win their medal. I like to see those surprise medal winners, who no one gave a chance to claim a place on the podium. I like to cheer on athletes who have spent hours training to get to this moment. I like to watch those athletes who while not claimng any prize, set personal bests in competition. Yes I like to to cheer for Canada. It always nice to see a fellow Canadian bring home a medal or even hear our anthem play at the ceremony. I think though the wonderful thing is that for a few weeks every four years, countries put aside differences and compete.
This year is different though. COVID has changed so much. Some atheletes could not go to the games. Some would not go. As numbers of cases of COVID increase in Tokyo, one wonders if having an international competition at this time is such a good idea. No matter how careful we have been, this virus is a tricky one. So I have not watched as much. I love seeing the sights of the city that I visited and fell in love with in 2018. I like seeing inside the venues which were almost finished three years ago and seeing what they looked like inside. But whenever I watch I feel guilty- should this really be happening.
I think many people are feeling the same way about goverment and business re-opening plans right now. We want things to be open. I have missed going window shopping in the stores. I have missed the theatre. I have missed going to the movies. I have missed socializing with friends. However, I knew why we were doing these things, and if my giving up these things meant that everyone could be safe from this horrible virus, then so be it. And now the government is saying that these restrictions are no longer necessary. Some will run out and do everything that they have not been allowed to do for the past 16 months. Others, like myself, will be a bit more cautious. Is this too soon? Numbers are rising should we be concerned? What of our carefully laid out re-opening plans- will we have to re-adjust these plans?
This in between time is frightening. We need to make plans to re-open. And even when we make those plans we need to be prepared to switch those plans. I pray we might all be safe during this in between time, whether this in between time be short or long.
