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‘When I’m feeling down and blue, I close my eyes to be with you.’ Funny how that line from a song keeps playing over and over in my head even though I have not heard the song for years.
I, like many of you, have experienced the COVID-19 blues. Conversations with friends, family members and co-workers have all turned to the same thought — we miss each other.
We have not blown out birthday candles together or laughed over an anniversary dinner. There was no opportunity to sit across from one another at a picnic table in July. The Friday night out with the girls for shopping and dinner went away months ago. Jumping on a plane to be at a sibling’s bedside during a medical crisis was out of the question.
Dance and music recitals were either canceled or were online only. Attending church services in person quickly became virtual-only for those at the greatest risk.
But there have been moments of happiness. When you find out that someone you care for has survived the virus or your nurse friends have remained healthy are reasons to celebrate. When even those most tech-challenged family members mastered the art of Zoom meetings, we could once again laugh and share that all important eye contact.
I also have found refuge from the blues via my record player. And yes, I have some old vinyl records -- albums and 45s -- to distract my worried mind. Just reading through my stack of records raises memories of so many happy times. I can remember going to the record stores and buying my 45s with my babysitting money.
Each record holds a special memory of a specific time in my life. From middle school through high school graduation, my records have been with me.
James Taylor and Steely Dan can still make me cry. The Monkees and even Kirk Franklin can find me singing at the top of my voice (when no one else is around, of course). My records never let me down.
Through all the down and blue days, I am now seeing the light of day when I hear a vaccine is not too far away for all of us. I imagine there will be a vaccine song to go along with its arrival. Actually, I'm kind of hoping for a new song to sing in 2021.
Happy New Year!
Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.