Coronavirus hangs on and Cristobal takes a swipe

Just as the coronavirus seems to be starting to lose strength, tropical storm Cristobal swooped in over the Yucatan and did a lap around the peninsula. Dropping sheets of rain and flooding towns in the region.

Back in the U.S., there are protests and demands of police reform/defunding.

2020 just is not a year to be messed with.

As restrictions seem to be easing up and the Yucatan is drying out, there's a push for things to find some sense of normalcy. What this new normalcy looks like is anyone's guess. It's doubtful things will ever go back to what they were before, and in some ways that's probably a good thing.

Trying to step away from all of the major, overarching traumas that have taken over the world's psyche and just breathing something different. It's a privilege that I can do so, I realize.

So what small-scale issues are on my plate?

Originally, I had thought I might return to Mérida this summer to meet with the architects. But the design process has come to an almost halt, or at least a snail's pace. Which means there isn't much reason for me to go. It doesn't really matter, though, since I don't have a valid passport to travel with. We should have renewed them before the pandemic began, but we waited until early April to send them off. The backup at the state department and the general non-essential nature of issuing passports to people who can't likely travel anytime soon has put our possibility of receiving them in limbo.

We had planned to go down in October-November with another couple of Angie's friends, but I'm not sure if we'll have passports by then. Even if we do, will there be a resurgence of the pandemic that closes things down? Will many things even be open by the fall?

Already the city has cancelled the biciruta for the remainder of the year, and other popular festivals have been cancelled. The funding is not really there anymore after the city has had to deal with coronavirus.

If the design of the house gets back on track and it's safe and sane to visit, I'd like to go down again and discuss with the architects again at the very least. Discussing details of the project. That may be unrealistic. We have to wait and see how the wounds of 2020 heal. If they heal, or if they continue to fester and ooze.

I hope that the pain and damage of 2020 offers some sliver of brightness to the world. That we can become healthier, more compassionate people. Time will tell.