Well, when I titled my last post “Bring it 2020”, honestly I really wasn’t serious. Can we get a redo? Let’s just reboot 2020. As we adjust to this “new normal”, I just wanted to check in and say HOW ARE YOU? HOW’S YOUR HEALTH – mentally and physically? Started working from home haven’t you? Kids still at home? Our Bizopia team, for the most part, is adjusting to working from home with family around 100% of the time. This is all taking some extra effort to get with friends and family, but it’s so worth it isn’t it? These pandemic effects will be felt for a very long time, so it’s really okay to talk about it, right?
WOW, this COVID crisis and pandemic has affected the Remys. Where do I start? POST #1: I’ll start with the current and most emotional pandemic effect at hand right now – Grant’s senior baseball season. We may or may not have met with our AHS Bulldog Baseball senior friends recently. Yes, we were “socially distant” for the most part as we have some seriously “at risk” friends and families and that was totally understood. That being said, we NEED to consider these effects on these high school seniors. We are all mourning this baseball season for the seniors for sure, all 10 of them. Some are moving on to play, most are not.
Our coach made sure the field lights came on while we were all standing around literally staring at the field…. at Grant’s height distances of course – 6’6″. It’s over the legal distance for social distancing in Texas. The lights mysteriously flickered on at 20:20 military time (8:20p CST) on the 20th. It will have to serve as closure for this team that was going to make some waves this season. A deserved season for these seniors.
The One with No Season
We had plenty of pitching that was fast and accurate, and unexpected. We would have definitely surprised some teams according to some posted preseason rankings. Bats were hot at the time the District pulled the rug out – literally in the middle of a tournament game. We played on, then stared at each other as we watched the guys walk off the field and hear that their next game was canceled. Most of the Bulldog families drove over to our favorite hangout, Center Court in Aliana and discussed in depth what we all thought was about to happen. Opinions were all over everything…this is a pretty vocal group, adding pandemic effects to the list of discussion topics assured an energetic conversation, all while I played “table soccer” with Bulldog dad. At this time, the players were thinking, “we’ll be back in a few weeks”. Lockers were left full – sort of scary, isn’t it?
The One with Players Hanging On
The coaches tried hard to keep these guys moving, exercising, throwing..all things that don’t necessarily come naturally to all players. While Grant was doing his arm care program regularly in the backyard, he was growing tired of throwing ONLY weighted balls. Every coach update was phrased VERY positively, and emails were kept positive. We kept moving towards fundraisers and special events, especially for the seniors. We had moms in charge of taking pictures of every, single player for EOS slide shows. UIL posted updates on Twitter. And we stalked it. Until the day UIL officially canceled the rest of the season…we were on target for District play…or at least a District tournament.
At least Grant has something BIG to look forward to. College. All 10 seniors are moving on to colleges across Texas, so that’s awesome! Grant will be continuing his academic and baseball careers at University of Texas at Dallas! Can’t wait to see what the future brings for Grant and his friends. The “new” UTD players are going to have to deal with the NCAA’s “correct” decision to grant current players another year of eligibility. That will affect NCAA sports for at least 3-4 years now. Think about it…baseball rosters up to 75 players? Time to GET YOUR GAME ON and compete for a spot accordingly!
The One with No Creativity
I sure hope we look back on this historically and KNOW it was worth it. I know we’ll look back and know that we slowed the spread FOR SURE. There’s zero question in my mind about #slowthespread initiatives, but we are also blessed to live in an area that has managed things really well medical-wise. The greater Houston area has had its share of coronavirus cases and deaths, but we followed rules and slowed the spread. My frustration come in to the auto-cancelation of so many events that are maybe planned for late May with little to ZERO creativity on the parts of organizations that I expect creativity from. School Districts…while I understand the limitations for some when it comes to students having computers at home, WiFi/Internet connectivity and “parental” oversight (normal situation, right?), I truly believe we have lost some serious educational and milestone ground with some kids that need it the most. Again, we live in an area with a fantastic school district, education wise. It’s focal for the district. Goodness knows, sports aren’t. I feel bad for the kids that’s parents are struggling make ends meet, can’t help them figure out the Zoom calls. Can you IMAGINE a kindergartner learning ONLY online. There’s lots to be learned from this for sure. It’s not a perfect world, but we need to get back at it!
Back at planning graduation. I’m seeing some SUPER fun ideas across the nation, just not around here. Back to planning prom. We might have to host “the street” and some friends in the backyard for a make-shift prom. We want to see these young ladies in those dresses! Hopefully the restrictions will loosen over the summer, and this incredibly social group can get creative themselves with gatherings. I can guarantee the fearless ProGrad committee is trying hard to come up with a few ideas that can be thrown together quickly, in the event the orders are lifted OR rules/regs are such that manageable sized groups can gather.
Back to our new normal….but we HAVE to get creative. We can’t just collapse and crawl into our little holes, and hope that someone else will take care of it. I’ll stop there with the potential political statements!
The One with the Silver Lining
For Grant, I hope this is a time where he’s paying attention to what’s going on. He seems to be asking questions, so that’s good. We are starting to see the “what ifs” come along during discussions. What if we start COLLEGE “online”. Unfortunately, the only answer we have for him is, “then you’ll stay home, and start classes online and follow your coaches’ directives on the side.” It is what it is. Fingers crossed that school starts in the Fall. Also, Grant has used the time to get bigger and stronger. He’s throwing harder now than he was one month ago. He’s needs a catcher to catch him though. Not having a high school season, means there are no over-use/nagging injuries to deal with so that’s a positive. No big rest periods required. This could be a really good thing for a 6′ 6″ 175-80 pound, skinny kid with serious baseball goals.
For the parents that are “having to stay home” with their kids, look at this as extra time spent. While it’s for sure gotten tenuous around with the internet load, it’s great having the kids around during this time. Do I feel bad for them, yes. Is it the worst possible scenario? Absolutely not. One of my cousins posted about how bad he felt that his daughter (3ish) was missing her friends and probably tired of being home. From his pictures that he’s posting…..ABSOLUTELY NO WAY. She’s thriving having the extra attention – don’t for a second think this extra time isn’t making a difference somewhere!
With businesses scrambling to stay alive, these pandemic effects will be felt for a very long time. I’m choosing to look at the positives for Grant and his senior friends. This is their first real obstacle to witness at an age where they can actually process things. They were just babies, if even born, during the horrors of 9-11. Yeah, gas got high a few times during their life, but they weren’t paying the bills. Learning about crisis like this, while at home, has offered many teaching moments for families and I hope everyone has taken advantage of that. Watching small (and some large) businesses struggle and listening to adult conversations, has more than likely changed some thought processes, like “what do I want to do when I grow up”….
Hint: Do you. Find something you love or are REALLY interested in and ….KEEP MOVING FORWARD. Don’t let anyone or anything stop you!
Here’s to health, sanity and the END OF THIS PANDEMIC!
~ Melanie
