October 10 (Andrew’s Birthday!) Earliest start to my season ever! It was at a mall in New Jersey, but it was with my kids and the snow was consistent and the turns felt GREAT! Big Snow American Dream has been a fantasy teased by reality for over a decade; a derelict development dead and dormant after the 2008 financial crisis. A giant metal sloped barn, rising several hundred feet above the parking lot it shares with MetLife Stadium (where the 0-5 Jets were losing to the Cardinals in front of 82,500 empty seats), chilled to 28 degrees and covered in fresh artificial snow every night, with a chairlift suspended from the ceiling and 1000 feet of downhill thrill minutes from my metropolis. It was a revelation for me; ever since the ski season abruptly ended last spring, I have been going through various stages of quarantine and wondering, when we inevitably returned to winter in a similar situation, would skiing resume or fall into the category of mass gatherings that remain forbidden? I need to ski and I needed this experience to reassure me that we can reopen safely.
It has been a trying six months! There has been a crushing weight of the unknown throughout and planning is impossible and pointless. Last week we were informed that PS130 would be closed temporarily (and are they really going back?) due to a recent local surge, so Ivy and Miles have shifted to a fully remote learning experience. My work situation is tenuous, with classes in the park that are increasingly challenged by the deteriorating weather and a school that has ordered a minimum one-day shut down to test everyone… it feels like we are on a trajectory towards our isolated virtual reality of last spring.
There is no future anymore, so I relish the present even more. Enjoy what I can while I can and make the most of every day in any circumstances. Each moment is unique and beautiful and challenging in its own way and I hope to appreciate it and learn from it as much as I possibly can. Love is always everywhere!