Last weekend my wife and I passed a milestone, one that wouldn’t have even been an inchstone until 2020. Is there such a thing as an “inchstone”? Well, no. And that’s my point. Because you don’t celebrate ordinary things until you’ve lost them and then gotten them back—even if just a little.
And what, you may ask (but hurry up, I have a sentence to finish), is this inchstone of almost-ordinariness? Going to “the movies.” Not streaming Netflix while cocooned in our den (although we’ve done plenty of that lately), but walking into a theater lobby, buying tickets, and settling in with buttered popcorn and overpriced sodas in-hand!
It’s something we’ve done countless times, and especially enjoyed on sweltery summer days like these. You know, days when a healthy walk in the park sounds oh-so un-inviting and consuming empty calories amid the HVAC-breeze of a darkened movie theater sounds oh-so alluring?
I admit, I loved it. But I didn’t blog about it, because it was ordinary.
But then the world changed. The last time we went to a movie theatre it was too cold for a walk in the park. It was also the last weekend before the lockdown began and theaters closed.
Of course, this weekend’s outing was only almost-ordinary.
- The movie was a “small” one we’d normally have watched online
- It was playing at one of the few theaters that are currently open
- The ticket-seller wore gloves behind a
bulletvirus-proof barrier - Two out of three rows were roped-off
- We wore masks when we weren’t in our seats
- Only three other people were actually in the theater
Still, it was almost-ordinary, and I’ll take almost-ordinary over ab-ordinary, which is what this mad year has been.
So, am I against masks and social-distancing? Of course–and of course not. The facts are there, unless you subscribe to the “alternative facts” (I don’t). And, no, I don’t find acceptable the Darwinian-Spanish Flu “solution” of establishing herd-immunity by letting millions of weaker “cows” die.
So, what’s the alternative? To patiently appreciate each new stage of almost-ordinary, and to help each other along the way…
Until the blessed ordinary returns.
Mitch Teemley 
Masks are becoming a fashion accessory. I love the bride’s one in your picture.
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Thanks for the photos… I got a good laugh from a few of them.
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I miss going to the movies! Buttered popcorn, yum!! I’m so jelly! Love the silly masks, I just have a flag pull up style mask, that I hate, but it’s better than the kind that go behind your ears! Those keep getting caught in my earrings! LOL
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Ha! I like the dentist one haha. And boy do I miss movie theaters 😦
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That is one thing I also miss-going to the movies. As always, I appreciate your perspective! 🙂
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I get my almost ordinary from going out to dinner, and three lunches with friends. Our theaters aren’t open, and they closed back down bars and gyms (neither have I been frequenting, but regret their loss of business), but we can still go out to dinner. YAY!
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🤗🤗🤗 really enjoy.
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Kinda Sorta But Not Really. LOL. What a cute post….really enjoyed it. Blessings and Peace.
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You’re a bold, daring couple. And I am totally jealous.
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Have masks, will travel — at a distance.
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I’m glad you got to go to the movies! Yes, masks are at total pain, but they are also what enable us to live as normal a life as possible during this pandemic, so I wear it anyway. And I loved the one that the dentist was wearing! The only problem is that I’d have a hard time not laughing while they worked on me….
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Oh, once they start prodding I think you’d forget about the mask. ;>)
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What a beautiful thought provoking post.
Ordinary was definitely under rated
X
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Indeed.
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