Celebrating normal

By O’Hara Shipe Managing Editor

Last Friday, I emerged from Williwaw Social dripping sweat and happier than I’ve been in a long while. Of course, part of my newfound happiness could be attributed to Magic Giant, who put on one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. But the real source of my joy was seeing Downtown buzzing with activity again. Crowds of people flitted between Flattop, the PAC, Williwaw, and Humpy’s at a dizzying pace, and all I could think was “finally!” It was the first time in over two years that life felt normal – or at least as close to normal as we can get.

Up until now, I have been content to live a reclusive life, only venturing out of my house for hockey games, rock climbing, and food. But as I crawled around the floor of Williwaw trying to take photos of the concert, I realized how much I missed the things I used to hate. Things like being bumped in a crowd, cat-called from passing cars on 5th avenue, and witnessing new lovers drunkenly making out in the back corner of the bar. Almost without warning, a sense of nostalgia washed over me, and I allowed myself to feel again.

I am carrying that sense of unbridled excitement into this week’s paper. I know that we are not out of the woods with Covid, but for now, I am going to relish all those things I took for granted before March 13, 2020. Hopefully, you can use this edition’s calendars to inspire you to venture out to find your own version of delightful normalcy.