I’ve been working on this blog for about a week, before my birthday that just passed on November 15th. I intended on posting some of my thoughts, but I was busy and my heart was too heavy on that day. So I will share about the significance of my 2020 birthday in another blog.

Let’s go back in time to before that week…..

“Have a good night buddy! And stay warm!”, I heard a dude tell another dude as I turned the corner to go home. They were sitting outside eating at the restaurant on the corner, the one with the lovely fire lamps. Hearing those words bothered me, because we had just come out of a 20 degree weather week! The unseasonably warm weather has reverted back to regular autumn weather. So now we’re in that borderline “winter-ish” part of autumn, the anticipation of real winter is kicking in. NOT Good. Folks are literally being left out OUT IN THE COLD. No more indoor dining allowed, and awkward lines on the streets again. More businesses closing, and the open ones have twice the restrictions. I was pleasantly surprised to see the larger local gym open last night, with a sprinkle of people in it. Now the second lock down has been announced, and it’s confirmed, for Monday.

There’s no more time to figure out what we should all already know. Conspiracy theories aside, as I’ve said before, a lot about this situation doesn’t make sense. My heart hurts for the locals who have been forced to shut down, yet again. They were following the rules perfectly and so were we. As annoying as this all has been since March, I felt more of a connection in the community since the first shutdown. People going out of their way to respect each other’s space, as much as possible, doubly distancing. Now, (allegedly) over one hundred restaurants have been forced to close, and it’s not even December. We are all shaking our heads and asking questions, while complying.

Last week, a gentleman and I had a five minute conversation, debating if we should go inside the restaurant and who should go first. As I saw him approach the door, I let him go first, but he stopped and told me to go first. There was about a line of five people inside and I thought that was way too many. I didn’t want to risk getting kicked out by an employee, so I decided to wait outside. I was not in a rush. As I waited outside the door, customers quickly exited, so the wait wasn’t that long. That same gentleman spoke kindly and made a few jokes with the employees behind the glass. He even made a joke about him being an “old man” and them being young, and not to worry about rushing his order. We all agreed that he was not at all an “old man”, and he chuckled and said, “That’s a good thing” about the mask. It hides my face/my age!

His lighthearted attitude was much appreciated. He was sure to Thank the employees, and even Thanked me, for allowing him to go first in the door. A little thing, simply Torontonian manners, but for some reason it meant more.

That was just a week or so ago, but now things have changed drastically…..again. We had our first major snow fall, one day after the second major shutdown was announced. I will continue in another blog.

Take Care, Stay safe, and Stay tuned.

Love and Respect,

~Dawn Lovely