Easter (Sort of)

This past Sunday was Easter though, of course, it was a very different Easter than we have ever had. No getting dressed up, no early visit to church, no brunch at In A Pickle. Was it even a holiday?

We made do the best we could. Celia, Lucia and I made an In A Pickle-themed breakfast (pancakes, French toast, eggs, and home fries, which turned out really well) for the family, and then everybody put a clean shirt on before sitting down to eat. We also FaceTimed in the New Jersey relatives, making what was essentially a glorified breakfast at home feel more special. (I'm wondering if the idea of inviting guests in, virtually, to share a meal will persist after this pandemic ends. No reason not to do this, right?)

We did keep the tradition of an Easter egg hunt, and that was held after breakfast. Our first one in the new digs! It took Natalia and I about 15 minutes to hide all the eggs on the first floor and outside--we had a lot of new spaces to choose from--and the kids found (nearly) everything in about 10. (They found a few particularly well-hidden ones this week.) It goes without saying, but every time we extend a new tradition in the new place--or start a new one, as in hosting Thanksgiving--it begins to feel more and more like our home.

After eating and then stuffing our faces with candy, we decided that a walk was in order, so we drove up to Beaver Brook in Belmont for some outside time. It was a warm, sunny day and we snagged one of the last spots in the parking lot. Possibly not a good sign at a time when everyone is supposed to be social distancing? Nevertheless, we hit the trail and enjoyed a long walk, trying to stay as far away from other families as we could. There's definitely a weird dynamic now in public places...everybody knows the rules, and most people honestly try to abide by them, but nobody talks about them outright. We are all living (quite literally, it would seem) by a quiet code. You keep a healthy distance from me, and I'll keep a healthy distance from you.

Of course, there are some situations that nobody seems quote sure how to handle. If we are behind a slow-walking family on a single trail, is it ok to pass them? (We opted to walk slowly behind them until there was a fork in the trail--they went one way, we went the other.) How far away should runners be? (At the beginning of our walk, one shirtless runner blew by us...Natalia and I agreed that there were probably many other places he could have gone for a run.) And how do you negotiate people who are walking towards you on narrow hiking trails? It's enough to make you want to stay at home.

In the end, we did manage to keep our distance while still enjoying a good afternoon hike. And by the time we made it back to the car, it felt like we had reached our safe zone again--which is a weird feeling, but it's becoming all too familiar. Anywhere beyond our cars and our home seems full of danger. I know that's not 100% true but it's true enough to make you apprehensive, to make you suspicious of everyone.

We hopped in the car, rolled down the windows to enjoy a cool breeze, and headed back home. Where else would we go?