"Music washes away from the soul
the dust of everyday life."
-- Berthold Auerbach
Copyright © 2022
By Ralph F. Couey
There were many things that ended up being casualties of the Pandemic, like normal life for instance. But while most communities have started that long, slow journey back, there were some losses.
There were a lot of things I used to do before this thing started, to which some I've returned. Medical facilities are still requiring masks, but everywhere else, its become optional. I still feel a sense of hesitation before entering WalMart, automatically reaching into my pockets for a mask. The variants are still raging, and there are still people getting sick, even the completely vaccinated and boosted. But for most of us, I think we're so exhausted by the whole thing that it's no longer the front-and-center attention grabber that it once was.
The task of putting our lives back together goes on. Vacations are now being planned and taken. People gather in large crowds without a second thought. Businesses are getting snippy about getting people back from working in pajamas to being present in the workplace. Zoom, once a novelty, is now mainstream, along with all the other video meeting tools. So, there has been a kind of paradigm shift, one that might change the way we do business in the future.
One of the casualties for me was the Irish Music sessions. Twice a month, I would gather with a lively group of very talented musicians for about 3 hours to play along with their encyclopedic knowledge of traditional music. Those halted when the shutdowns began to happen. This had become one of the highlights of my month, I labored long and hard on my Bodhran (a frame drum) hoping to at least not gum up the works. I also sang occasionally, though I had to use lyric sheets as I suffer from CRS. (Can't Remember Songs.) Still, they were a patient lot as they educated me on the music and the session rules. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Over time, it became a highlight in my life. I always looked forward to going and I went when ever I could. Losing that little joy kinda made the Pandemic a little darker.
