02A0A: "After the Pandemic..."

 

Someday...

Metro Manila Community Quarantine - Day 508

After the pandemic, of course, we're going to go back to O Bar. We're going to make up for all the birthdays and other special events that we didn't get to celebrate there and have a party unlike any other that has come before or will ever happen again.

After the pandemic, we're going to have epic overnight board game nights with friends. I may even break keto just so that we can enjoy great food together as we play as many games as possible. We'll be running on fumes by the time the sun comes up, but it would have been totally worth it because we miss playing with friends in person.

After the pandemic, I have a variety of promised appointments that I need to fulfill including a cycling class, various coffee meet-ups, and god-knows-what. But I'm going to be a YES person and make up for all the time we've lost and just show that I value my friends that much.

After the pandemic, hugs may become my default greeting for closer friends, mainly given how much we all miss that sort of physical intimacy as a form of expression. We all miss quality human content and I will let the walls down a bit once it's safe enough because we all need more than a few good hugs at this point.

After the pandemic, Tobie and I are going to watch a movie in an actual cinema again. We're going to watch live stage plays and musicals. We're going to celebrate the wonders and artistry of local creative groups and individuals. 

After the pandemic, we're going to go on family trips again whether it's off to Singapore to visit my sister and her family or out of town to have a holiday weekend in Tagaytay or something. Heck, I'd even go for a hotel staycation just for the sake of doing so without thinking about the risks of being outside one's home.

After the pandemic, we're all going to live life to the fullest. We're not going to waste the time we have. We're going to treasure the friendships and relationships we've done our best ot nurture from afar across these past few months of quarantine.

It is easy to be all jaded about making post-pandemic plans that may never happen because the end of this pandemic seems hard to even imagine. But we can't let that sort of negativity weigh us down. We'll get through this. We will endure and emerge from these months of social distancing stronger in many ways. We will learn the lessons of this pandemic and forge a new path forward.


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