Same procedure as last year?

 

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 90^th 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 60^th 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!

Happy New Year, y'all.