Today is the last Friday in August. I suppose it’s because school starts (in some fashion or other this year) that we equate the end of summer with the end of August. I’m not a big summer fan – it’s the heat and humidity – so I generally look longingly toward the fall. But this has been summer like no other, and the fall looks even stranger.
We did try and keep it as close to normal as we could for our daughter. We even managed to get to the beach for a week. She was looking forward to it all year, and had been concerned it would get cancelled. At the start of the summer it wasn’t looking good. There was a 2 week quarantine for everyone entering the state we were going to. That would have prevented us from going to the beach. But fortunately, that was lifted. There were a few adventures – such as the floatie drifting away with ‘lil q on it (she’s fine, but the floatie is somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean) – but it was a nice, almost normal, trip. (Maybe the floatie mishap made it more like normal?)
Starting next week, I’ll be going part time at my day job so I can take on a new gig – full time teacher’s aide. Like many kids in the U.S.A., my daughter is not returning to her school until sometime in 2021. At 8 years-old, we can’t set her up and say go for it kid. Like so much else the last six months, this new unknown world is stressful. What will it look like? How will she handle it?
Better question, how will I handle it. I’ll have to balance, work, teach, exercise and try to write. I sense I’ll need to be much better organized than I’ve been.
Like most of us, I’ll adapt, settle in, get comfortable with the new normal. But I don’t like the new normal. I don’t like being parent and constant playmate to my child. I love the time we have together – I never expected I’d get this much time with her again – but I’m her parent and an adult. She isn’t learning how to interact with peers. That worries me. Yes, I know the adage, kids are resilient. I believe that is true for the most part. The bigger issue is what will they have evolved into when this is over?
As the ancient curse goes – may you live in interesting times. I’ve decided I’d rather not.
Finally, for those who get this far, to celebrate the audio book release of Better Have Heart, I’m holding an audio book giveaway in my Facebook Group. If you want to enter, join my group and comment. Here’s a link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GalloreousReaders/
Until next month, stay safe and healthy.
~Andy
Andy Gallo:
Andy prefers mountains over the beach, coffee over tea, and regardless if you shake it or stir it, he isn’t drinking a martini. He remembers his “good old days” as filled with mullets, disco music, too-short shorts, and too-high socks. Thanks to good shredders and a lack of social media, there is no proof he ever descended into any of those evils.
Andy does not write about personal experiences and no living or deceased ex-boyfriends appear on the pages of his stories. He might subconsciously infuse his characters with some of their less noble qualities, but that is entirely coincidental even if their names are the same.
Married and living his own happy every after, Andy helps others find their happy endings in the pages of his stories. He and his husband of more than twenty years spend their days raising their daughter and rubbing elbows with other parents. Embracing his status as the gay dad, Andy sometimes has to remind others that one does want a hint of color even when chasing after their child.
Join my Facebook group for more of your favorite characters and to meet new favorites:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GalloreousReaders/
Harrison Campus:
Website: www.andygallo.com
Email: andy@andygallo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/andygalloauthor