Here we are, in the season of waiting. Remember, when you were a kid, the expectations of the Christmas season? From Thanksgiving on, the weeks seem like such a slow time, a time when nothing happens. You’re just waiting, waiting expectantly for school to be out for Christmas, for cousins to come visit, for the crisp cold days when a fire feels good and a cup of hot chocolate warms the soul. This is the waiting time. Surely Christmas is coming, but it is taking its own sweet time to get here, and the anticipation is awful – we just can’t wait.
This year, we are waiting for a lot more than Christmas alone. We are waiting for normality.
We are waiting for those hysterical people on the national news to calm down and talk about something besides elections and hospitals. We are waiting for Covid to be over, for this crazy virus to go away and the world to stop spinning out of control. We are waiting for store shelves to be fully stocked, and to stay stocked, for our favorite toilet paper to always be on the shelf along with everything else we might possibly want. Those empty shelves belong in another world, not in the United States. We’re better than that. Shortages should be reserved for the latest new toy that every kid wants, not for the basics of life.
So we are waiting. We are waiting for shortages to end. We are anticipating a cure for this crazy virus, and a vaccine so we don’t get it in the first place.
We’ve made the sacrifices to slow or stop the spread of this disease. We’re wearing our masks, staying 6 feet away from other people, and avoiding crowds. We are ready for a change. We believe that, as sure as Christmas will come, so will the day that Covid is no worse than the flu that comes each year. Now that will be a joyful Christmas present.
I’m Len Wilcox and that’s the Western View from AgNet West and Citrus Industry Magazine.
About the Author
Len Wilcox
Len Wilcox is a retired scientist who also ran a newspaper and has written for agricultural publications since the 1980s. He was a regular contributor to California Farmer Magazine. His commentary “The Western View” is a regular feature on Farm City Newsday and AgNet West.