Summer is Over
It is now official, summer is over. This summer has been one of the most unique ever and the oddity of 2020 is likely to continue into the fall. In fact, it feels like a lost summer. The normal festivals, fairs, holidays, and vacations never really took place. Sure we acknowledged them but the normal gatherings associated with these dates were skipped over. Instead, we had to find new ways to have fun and stay safe. By now most of us are likely sick of so much time with our families and are ready for a new season; however, the virus is still around and fall will likely have its own set of new precautions and earth shattering changes to norms.
School
As much as the federal government would like schools to be consistent in their curriculums, COVID rules, schedules, and online versus in person class options, it is up to the states and local governments to decide how to best proceed. A result of this, the new school year looks very different from town to town. Some school districts have switched to online only, some now have part time in person classes with online supplements, and some schools are open five days a week. Naturally this set of circumstances has created one of the most unusual falls ever. This continues to make life very difficult on parents. Schedules have to be made to ensure children are attended to and that they are taking their virtual education seriously. In the past everyone would be going back to the office and every child would be in a classroom, this is no longer the case. The situation is fluid and because of this there is no normal fall. We must and will continue to adapt and adjust our schedule to ensure our children are taken care of. Their education and their future is more important that anything else and we will continue to work to ensure we give them a better life.
Sports
This could be the only time in history that we see NBA playoff basketball in September. The MLB baseball regular season has been shortened to 60 games with 7 inning double headers and an expanded playoff format. High school and NCAA teams have postponed or even cancelled seasons and finally the NFL is starting. This is a unique time for sports. The virus has complete changed schedules and the way we enjoy and watch sports. There are no tailgate parties or large bar or venue events around game time. In some places, bars are reopened but many with a diminished capacity for safety. As a result of all of this, it does not feel like fall. The sports media outlets are covering much more than normal and the hype behind professional and college football is diminished. It will be interesting to see how the sports world proceeds from here. Will the NFL and NCAA be able to play all their scheduled games? Will winter sports be affected at the high school and college level? We do not have concrete answers to these questions and all we can do is precede one step at a time. The only thing that we can say for sure is this is an interesting and ever changing year for American sports.
Work
Moving in unison with schools and sports this fall will be unique and should present a whole slew of new challenges. Offices are starting to open up again but people are still working remotely and from home. In some cases, people are going into the office every day, in other cases people are going in part time, and finally some people continue to work from home. This will also be ever changing. We want to be safe and ensure the health of those around us but we also want to get back to our normal lives. What we do again will vary by situation and location but we must get ourselves in a good place mentally. We can no longer afford to waste time dreaming about summer activities and we must focus on the task at hand. We are in a very interesting economical situation and we must remember this. We must refocus on our jobs and ensure we are giving it our all. The Coronavirus has changed our work habits but we cannot let it affect our overall productiveness. Now is the time for us to pursue the American dream. We must work hard and we must find ways to overcome challenges just like our ancestors did in the past. Now, this new fall season, is the time where we will be difference makers in our professional lives. Now is the time to overcome barriers and find a way to succeed.
Even though summer is ending, it still feels like summer. It is still warm outside and the days still feel long, although they are becoming noticeably shorter. Soon we will see temperatures begin to drop and we will start to see the leaves changing from green to a wonderful variety of reds, oranges, and yellows. We will have to start wearing rain coats and jackets in the mornings and we will have to start planning for the cold months that lay ahead. This summer was unique and many people talk about it as being a lost season. These people would be wrong. Just because it was different does not make it a failure. We spent more time with our families, we came together with our loved ones, and as past generations have done we fought through challenges and we will come out strong. We will need to continue to learn how to work together and we will ensure next summer will be the greatest ever.