There's reason to celebrate these days, my friends.
No, I'm not talking Canada Day, though that was a heck of a time, wasn't it?
I'm talking about July 11, the day that the province of Saskatchewan, for all intensive purposes, reverts back to normal by waving off any COVID-related restrictions. Or, I should say, about as back to normal as one can be these days.
I can remember those earliest days of the COVID pandemic like they were just last week. The uncertainty that abounded among all of us, the questions that were raised and asked, the answers that didn't come, and staring at a future in which no one could tell you what direction we were headed. It was all so heavy on the hearts and minds of people everywhere, regardless of where you called home.
Oh, I can remember those days quite well. People beginning to work from home, businesses reducing their hours, hand sanitizer being glopped on at seemingly every which way and turn, and this crazy practice of wearing a mask that seemed almost so foreign to us at the time.
Now, we're just days away from starting to leave all this COVID crap in our rearview mirror. Sunday, July 11. Mark it down.
But while I'm sure people are looking forward to putting away the masks and getting together sans restrictions again, I have to say that life didn't actually change ALL that much from my perspective. Sure, you kept numbers low for this or that and you made sure you threw on the mask when you went grocery shopping, but I wouldn't call the last 16 months or so a drastic, universe-changing world of difference. It was different, yes, but we've still been functioning as a society. I guess that's just what happens when you live in a small town area. I suppose if I lived in Calgary or Toronto, I'd have a vastly different take on it.
Although I feel for the businesses that were affected and the family members who couldn't see each other due to restrictions, I have to say that I look back on the last year and change with a bit of a positive attitude. Doing what I do for a living, I was witness to a whole list of events and occurrences that only took place because of the pandemic, but they showed the creative side that many have, resulting in things that will go down as being much more memorable. I mean, c'mon now, remember all those wicked graduation parades? Need I say more?
And hey, I mentioned it earlier, but I think it needs to be touched on more. Outlook's Canada Day festivities last week were a real blast, and I think everyone who came out for them were appreciative of their return after being shelved in 2020 due to the pandemic. The parade was exceptional, the fireworks were a blast, and the events inside the Rec Plex were very fun to see. Without a doubt, Terrance Littletent was the hit of the day with his Indigenous hoop dancing that brought the house down. I really appreciated how he spoke of the mass graves that are being thrust in the national spotlight right now, and the moment of silence we all took part in was not only necessary, but actively participated in by those gathered.
Those who planned the July 1 events: I tip my hat to you. Job very well done.
But while I may look back on the recent past with a bit of an optimistic approach, I do have to say that I'm very much looking forward to the immediate future; a future where I'm not masked up and have to worry about glopping on another layer or three of sanitizer. To be quite honest, I'm fairly confident that I've piled on so much sanitizer at this point that any dirt or grime would just ping off my hands like bullets bouncing off of Superman's chest.
I'm looking forward to the summer holidays my coworkers and I have planned in a few weeks. I'm even happier now, knowing that this happens after July 11 and the world will be my proverbial oyster. My brother also having the same time off from work is a nice little plus. Whatever we get up to, we'll have fun and we'll make some memories together.
I'm very much looking forward to the new school year in September, where I expect to see the return of the football program to local schools. I'll tell ya, I really missed going to the games at Outlook High School and LCBI last fall. It was one activity that really made my job a breeze. To see those teams get back to the field will be a real treat, and I'll be right there with my Canon to capture the action.
I'm also looking forward, in fact very, VERY much looking forward to all the conspiracy theorists, anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers, and the rest of the "U AIN"T TAKKING MY FREEDUMBS!!!" crowd no longer having much of a voice. COVID came, we took care of ourselves, our numbers went down, and we've managed to move on with our lives. You no longer have much of an audience, folks. Time to pack up your tinfoil hats, your binders of "totally legitimate, top secret government intel", and your websites and Facebook pages filled with all manner of links, data, and all that crap and ship 'em on out. You're selling something no one's wanting to buy anymore. We've moved on. Try somewhere else.
Any way you slice it, the gist of it is that we've hit a remarkable landing point as a province. No, it certainly hasn't been all wine and roses and there were most definitely mistakes made here and there, but it's important to put all that behind us now. We're here. You and I can meet up for coffee sometime, even if we're complete strangers, and it'll all be good because we've done our part. I like that, having that kind of freedom back. No number-controlling. No masks. Just plain old freedom again. Feels good, don't it?
I know one thing, for sure. My mom would've truly appreciated the time we're living in as we're about to open the province back up again. She did her part and she deserved to see this through to the end like the rest of us. It pains me not to see her with us as we see Saskatchewan be "back open for business" again.
I suppose my family and I will have to live it up and enjoy this freedom on her behalf.
I'm more than happy to do that for her.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
