Oh, the Places You Won’t Go!

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Dear Moms and Graduates,

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re not off to Great Places!

Most of the country is still under an order to stay!

 

You have masks on your face.

You have gloves on your hands.

You can steer yourself

Anywhere that hasn’t been banned.

You’re on your own.

And with virtual learning, nobody knows what you know.

 

You’ll look up and down streets. Avoid all people with care.

About all people, you will say, “Stay six feet away from me, well over there!”

With your head full of Netflix and your pajama uniform on fleek,

You’ve lost track of the days, your friends in person you wish you could speak.

 

And you may not find any

who cough and sneeze into their elbow

In that case, of course,

You’ll head straight home and say, ‘that’s a total no-go!’

 

It’s opener there

In your living room.

In there, absolutely nothing happens

unless it’s on Zoom

to people who forget to mute

while they go to the bathroom.

And when everyone finally joins the call

don’t worry. Don’t doubt.

The WiFi will almost certainly cut out.

 

OH!

THE PLACES YOU WON’T GO!

You’ll be on your way to the kitchen!

You’ll see the same family member!

You’ll eat through all your COVID snacks.

Let’s hope this is over before December!

 

You will walk your poor dog for miles because you need to get out.

You’ll pass the Amazon truck on the way to your house, and hope that your credit limit is stout.

Wherever you walk, it will all feel the same

Because social distancing is the name of the game.

 

Except when you don’t.

Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to admit it

But, sadly, it’s true

That we’ve all tried to sneak onto the beach

A time or two.

 

You will come to a place in your house with so much clutter

Some items you might save. But mostly, ‘I’m done with it all’, you mutter.

You can get so confused

When you listen to the news

after long-winded speeches, on the couch, you will snooze

and wake up to find that we’re all still singing the COVID blues,

it’s Groundhog Day, I fear, with the four corners of your house as your view.

 

The Quarantine Boo Hoos…

….for people just waiting.

Waiting for the beaches to open

Or a friend to visit, or a bar to open

Or toilet paper to be stocked or a nail salon to open

Or a party to be thrown, or a store to get soap in

Or waiting around for experts to say Yes or No

Or waiting for our hair roots to show

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting to go back to school

Or for HOAs to open the pool

Or waiting around for hugs to again become cool

Everyone is just waiting.

 

Oh, the places you won’t go! There will be good days ahead!

There are people to meet. It won’t be forever that you eat tuna on bread.

Except that it may be awhile

Because, sometimes, we just have to bear it and smile.

All alone!

Whether you’re sick or not,

Alone keeps us all safe,

so alone you will be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance

you’ll film TikTok videos featuring a very silly dance.

 

And will this ever end?

Yes! It will, my friend!

Things are starting to open again and we’re ready to spend!

KID, YOU’LL ESCAPE YOUR HOUSE!

 

So…

Be you a college grad ready to fly into the world

Or a high school grad who had your prom plans unfurled,

Or an elementary school grad headed into tween and teenage fun,

Or my sweet baby, Brennan, with your time at pre-school done,

you’re off to Your Backyard!

Today is your day!

Your Zoom call is waiting.

So….log on right away!

CONGRATULATIONS, MOMS & GRADS!

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Erin DiNicola
Erin is a single mom of four young kids (8-year-old, 6-year-old and 4-year-old boy and girl twins). A former US diplomat, Erin has lived and worked all over the world. She is a former nationally ranked 100m and 300m hurdler, a certified yoga and prenatal yoga instructor, and holds additional certifications as a CrossFit Level 2 Coach, Precision Nutrition Coach, USAW L-1, Barre, TRX Barre, TRX Yoga, NASM CPT and as an ACE group fitness trainer. She owns Mount Pleasant Fitness, offering group/personal training. On a daily basis, she aims to show her babies that women can be both soft and strong, and that one must never give up, no matter what!