Hello Readers, it’s Co-editor Gail.
This week, I kinda just want to stream of consciousness rant about what’s in my head. It doesn’t really have a point but maybe you’ll find it relatable and maybe that’s all we really need once in a while. So, I’m just going to go ahead and word-vomit now.
I am willing to bet that I am not the only one who is itching to get back out into the world. Every little thing I have gotten to do for the first time in over a year feels like a major accomplishment So now as the world is slowly opening back up and I think about the bigger things I still have not been able to do, it seems akin to being granted access to magic or superpowers.
Every day on social media I find a new announcement. Broadway and regional theaters are revealing their return dates and seasons, musicians and comedians are launching tours again, and various attractions are also opening up to larger groups.
I am chomping at the bit to get out there and start making memories again! But at the same time of course, I also want to be safe, cautious, and respectful of other people’s boundaries.
Yes, I am fully vaccinated, and mask regulations are laxing a bit, but I am still wary of this new variant of the virus and the fact that there are still so many people unwilling to get vaccinated. I am paranoid that we could all just end up back in quarantine because of it.
Still, I see all these upcoming shows and artists that are going to be near me, and it gives me a sense of apprehensive optimism. I guess it is just this weird limbo-like mental state where I am finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel but at the same time if feels like the tunnel may suddenly extend in length the moment I let my guard down.
For the first time in fifteen months, I am allowing myself to truly fantasize about being in a theatre venue again or a bar or a store, or even going on a trip somewhere with friends or family. It’s a nice feeling that I have missed. All this time it is like I have been longing to be longing for something that is actually feasible and in the near future.
Heck I am even able to apply for jobs again and imagine futures that I hadn’t been allowing myself to (at least in a positive light) all this time.
I apologize that this blog is short and kind of rambley and repetitive, it just that this has been on my mind this week as I have stared wistfully at little blue dots on Ticketmaster and trying my best to remember the feeling of a night out on the town with all five senses.
I don’t know if, when, or what things I will get to attend, but for now, it’s just nice to know that possibilities are out there and there is still such a thing as making plans.
I hope you get to make some fun ones yourself.
Gail Bello is a poet and playwright from Waltham, Massachusetts. She graduated in 2019 with a BFA in Creative Writing and a minor in Theatre from The University of Maine at Farmington. Find her previous publications at https://thaumaturgedramaturge.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter @AquajadeGail