SAME PROCEDURE AS EVERY YEAR
Most
Austrians are familiar with the exchange, “Same procedure as last year, Miss
Sophie?” “Same procedure as every year, James.” It comes from a beloved British one-act play
entitled “Dinner for One,” that is broadcast on Austrian television every New
Year’s Eve at about 11:30 pm. This is
when the countdown to the New Year really begins, as the clock is superimposed
over the story of Miss Sophie’s 90th birthday party. When the play ends, there is just enough time
to grab the champagne and glasses, put on your coat and go outside to wait for
the stroke of midnight, the fireworks, the champagne corks flying, the first
sip of bubbly in the New Year, and the Blue Danube Waltz on the radio.
At least,
that’s been the procedure in past years.
2021 is different.
Last year I
was in Duluth, Minnesota to celebrate New Year’s Eve on the shores of Lake Superior,
a combination 60th birthday and Christmas gift for my boyfriend. I
think we probably watched “Dinner for One” on a laptop, and we chilled Austrian
champagne (from the liquor store in Grand Marais!) in the snow on the balcony
of our hotel. The first disappointment of 2020 was that the only fireworks appeared
briefly on the Wisconsin side of the harbor (I was expecting them to be fired
over the Duluth Lift Bridge, Fourth of July style). How minor an inconvenience
that seems now in light of all that’s happened the past few months.
 |
| December 31, 2019 - Grand Marais, MN |
All the familiar procedures have been upended. Education has been moved online, with all of the challenges that brings to learners, teachers, and parents. Graduation requirements have been waived. Grocery shopping has become an odyssey of hand sanitizing stations, masks, and keeping one’s distance, even if it means circling around the store until the indecisive person blocking the dairy aisle has moved. Vacations have been cancelled, as well as all other social engagements. No spring break in Cremona, no Literature and Wine in Stift Göttweig, no garden party in Vienna, no trip to the US, no Lake Superior, no Christmas in Iowa. There was a brief moment this summer when it seemed like things might go back to “normal.” Restaurants set up outdoor options. Theaters offered distanced seating and contact tracing. But as soon as the weather grew cold and activities moved indoors, it’s been one lockdown after another. Being cautiously optimistic, we expect the latest to be lifted January 25.
Procedures, however,
are irreversibly changed. Now it’s
normal to be tested if you want to visit your family for a special event. Family reunions take place on Zoom. Everyone is eyed with suspicion – where have
they been and who have they been with and should they really spend time in my house? That goes for family members and friends as
well as the chimney sweep or furnace repairman. Will we ever go back to teaching in
person? Will teenagers ever learn to keep
their distance and sanitize their stations several times a day? Will I ever stop holding my breath for 30 seconds
after a jogger runs past me? When will I
get to see my parents in person again? And why aren’t other people around the
world asking themselves these same questions, instead of putting themselves and
everyone else at risk by denying the danger of simply breathing in the wrong
place at the wrong time?
I miss
being able to laugh with friends, without worrying about how many droplets we’re
spraying into the air. I miss being able
to hug people who are in need of a hug (or when I need one). I miss sharing a meal without wondering
whether it’ll land me in the hospital. I really miss live music. But I am adaptable.
It might not be “the same procedure as last year” but if shifting procedures is
what it takes to get back to some semblance of normalcy, then I’ll do my
very best!
