This Valentine’s Day was different. The rush to get chocolates and flowers in time for the pre-lineup rush hours and time to wipe that gooey face after a long day cloaked in a mask and settle down for some serious Valentine ventures.
Yes, the new pandemic baby is fast approaching. Will the child have pre-emptive DNA characteristics and be immune to future diseases that are now considered practically a plain old cold or common flu? Perhaps endemic is the correct word for it. However, the need for lockdowns and being in close family quarters might have created a new baby craze. Yes, the fear of the unknown and the need to have someone carry on your good looks for the next 10 generations is a mighty temptation that few couples can resist.
Take note of the other babies who are now grown up and have something in common with each other. For example, I’m a baby boomer, not sure what reason that was for – perhaps repopulating after a few wars might have prompted that moniker. Then Generation X, and then the Millennium baby, for the end-of-the-world nightmare. These babies were usually born in late September or early October and often compete with the hockey tournament babies, who are now nearing 40 and might have been responsible for babysitting during the ice storm offspring uprising, which was again in the late fall. What is it about cold weather that stirs so many lonely hearts?
Soon, during Remembrance Day celebrations, Phase 3 babies will start appearing and will not look like anyone from a familiar bubble. Weren’t all the other kids’ hair partings on the other side? Didn’t freckles run in our family until now? Doesn’t he look like the so-and-so who lives on the other side of town?
Suspicious minds will soon be overwhelmed with the happiness of going out to get something eat and sitting down in a restaurant instead of waiting for a knock at your door and opening it to find that Chinese takeout meal for six required two trips up your driveway. Yes, the nosh at your favourite eatery Generation Baby Boom is soon coming up, every two weeks on paydays for the next year or so, depending on the lineup.
I predict this summer will have lots of people outdoors to commemorate the act of socializing and numerous Woodstock-type concerts will pop up in the coming years, promoting free sharing of bubbles and other needed social activities without having to go to war over getting your way. There may still be a chance for those who didn’t want to raise a child, much less make one, to live in such a dour future, a life without physical contact, a life without real love, only love scattered about like so many heart emojis, as those were the only safe ones to give.
Today, life up close is starting to look like it will be back soon if there aren’t any nuisances to block its return. Kind of like the recent roadblocks in our nation’s capital by those 18-wheelers. At the time of this writing, it turns out that only a few of the demonstrators are peacefully protesting as some were busted for weapons and firearms.
Sometimes freedoms can be taken away by just a few misguided souls, who will leave scars on our psyche for generations, simply because they were fed up. Hey, I get fed up every day, but do you see me bragging about it or causing more misfortune on others? Now get back into the swing of things and do something for the one you love, other than forcing a rose down our throats and expecting some love in return. Just be cool and love one another.