The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.
I have always considered myself to be an optimistic guy. My glass is almost always half full. The grass is rarely greener on the other side. Life is like a box of chocolates, most of the time.
I am no longer optimistic.
I would love to say that life will return to normal soon. It won’t.
I would love to say that kids will return to school soon. They won’t.
I would love to say we will see the return of professional winter sports (NBA, NHL) and the start of spring sports at all levels (high school, college, MLB, PGA), but, I fear, we won’t.
The PIAA’s two-week moratorium on finishing out the winter season has come and gone. Their current silence on the matter means they are just not sure what to say. And I understand their dilemma.
Despite the message the IOC is putting forth, does anyone really believe the Olympics will take place this year?
I would love to be looking forward to the 12-night cruise my wife and I had planned for early May. It was unique – fly to Florida, cruise to the Southern Caribbean and return to Bayonne, New Jersey. Despite hoping this will happen, I’m pretty certain it won’t.
I and my seven fellow golfers would love to be getting ready for the 16th consecutive year for our golf trip to the New Jersey shore – we call it the War at the Shore. Five days of golf, camaraderie and incessant busting on one another cannot happen if there are no golf courses to play. As a proper precaution, they are closed for business.
I would love to have a sense that we are getting a handle on this thing, but I fear we are not. I feel for the businesses, the medical staffs, the unemployed and, most importantly, the sick who, I am quite sure, have also all lost their optimism.
My glass still has liquid in it – not quite half – and my grass is looking greener, so I am sure some day we will return to a sense of normalcy. I fear it will not be soon and the effects will certainly not be easy to overcome.
To think otherwise would just be kidding ourselves. Please stay safe and healthy.
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- The only sports stories to report about right now are NFL free agency and the NFL draft. It just doesn’t seem right, however, to make this feel important.
- I worry about my daughters who are on the front line working with Lehigh Valley Hospital. One does ultrasounds on about 20 patients every day and the other helped to organize the various testing centers for the virus around the Lehigh Valley. I am proud, but worried.
- Our granddaughter is in New York, which the news is now saying is the “epicenter” of the virus. I trust she is making mature decisions!
- I just started John Feinstein’s new book, Back Roads to March. It is about the smaller colleges that get a chance to participate in March Madness. Lafayette College is featured at times. Ironically, I am not a fan of sports books, but I am a fan of good writing and John Feinstein is a very good writer and is always able to weave a good story. It’s something to do while at home that feels like research for my work.
- I watched the replay of the Lafayette-Lehigh football game on Sunday morning. After doing the game, I never took the time to watch it. The RCN-TV crew did a great job. Lafayette won again.
