Miss seeing you, Fresno. COVID-19 has made him appreciate the company of strangers
A whole year has passed, Fresno. I sure have missed you.
Miss being out among you. Miss feeling your collective energy. Miss those nods at the coffee shop, the random banter from across the bar and our simultaneous reactions at the movie theater.
It’s been far too long, and I can’t wait for the day when it’s safe to be in your company again.
You’re saying we don’t know each other, or have only met through my words? Doesn’t matter. You’re in my thoughts regardless, more than I ever realized until COVID-19 upended our lives and forced us to part company.
Over the 12 months, much of it spent staring at the same walls, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of small, random human interactions. The kind that have been largely absent during the pandemic. Only then do you start to miss the company of strangers.
So as we approach the one-year anniversary of a public health crisis that finally seems to be ebbing, here’s to getting back together as soon as safely possible. Can hardly wait to see your smiling, unmasked faces again.
Of course I’ve missed family and all but my tightest circle of friends. I miss working in the physical company of my Bee colleagues, whose dedication to producing essential local journalism under trying conditions inspires me every day.
But at least with these people — family, close friends, co-workers, sources — there’s Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime, Skype, texting, direct message or simply talking on the phone. I can see their faces and hear their voices. While not the same as being in the same room, there’s still some sense of connection.
What pandemic life has stripped away is the feeling derived from sitting among 20 total strangers at a Starbucks or 2,500 at a Fresno State basketball game, and absorbing the surroundings. Just being part of a public setting.
How much I’ve missed that feeling crystallized in the most unlikely of places: River Park Shopping Center.
Don’t know about you, but I don’t do much shopping anymore. Trips to the supermarket and occasionally a home-improvement store are pretty much it. On a recent Saturday morning, however, I decided to exchange a couple Christmas presents purchased from REI.
Rather than head straight home, I walked deeper into the mall and came across a farmer’s market. Just perusing the booths was oddly enjoyable. And when I spotted someone I knew (a food truck owner whose Fulton Street restaurant closed in December 2019), our reunion felt like that of long-lost chums.
Temporary return to normalcy at BarrelHouse
Then I found myself in front of BarrelHouse Brewing Co., which opened months before the pandemic hit. This was my first time seeing it. The taproom was open and practically empty, so I walked in, ordered a Mango IPA and carefully carried it to the patio without spilling.
After sitting down, I lowered my mask and took a sip. It was the best sip of beer I’ve tasted in quite a while. So tasty I decided to wash it down with a chicken sandwich and tater tots, ordered via a smartphone app and delivered to my table by a waiter wearing gloves and a mask.
Sitting alone in a shopping mall patio enjoying a meal, at 11 a.m. on a Saturday, should’ve felt strange. Instead it felt oddly comforting, as if life had temporarily returned to normal. For a little while, I forgot all about the pandemic.
Even after crushing the food and draining the beer, I didn’t want to get up and leave. I didn’t want that feeling to end.
As winter turns to spring, there are hopeful signs COVID-19 is under control. New cases and positivity rates are down. Our hospital ICUs are no longer stuffed with positive patients. Every day, more residents are getting vaccinated. Hopefully it’ll be my turn soon.
I see school buses on the streets in my neighborhood and the return of live outdoor music downtown. Perhaps in a week or two, Fresno County will move into the so-called “red tier” and allow for restaurants, movie theaters and museums to reopen indoors at 25% capacity and gyms at 10%. (Yes, I realize some have jumped the gun.) By May, unless things go awry, Grizzlies games at Chukchansi Park should be in the offing.
Can’t wait to see you out there, Fresno. We’ve been apart long enough.
