I recently sat inside a Starbucks, enjoying my latte. Sixteen months ago, that seemed like an everyday experience, one that I never treated as extraordinary. In this time of COVID, it now feels like a luxury. Unless there are further lockdowns, I no longer have to pick something up and take it out.
As you know, if you have followed my posts over the years, many of my contributions were composed in the creative space of a coffee shop – the sights, the sounds, the aromas, the conversations, bustling activity. I can now look forward to times sitting my iPad inside the store. Freedom!
What a summer! Freedom! Increasing numbers of the vaccinated. Worship spaces have a new freedom. We can sit in restaurants and cafes. Borders are opening. In-person shopping is possible. Sporting events are no longer forbidden. Tourist destinations are opening. We can travel more easily than in well over a year. We can more freely spend time with family and friends. We can hug and kiss.