Thinking Allowed: Day of note

I got much more than expected on my birthday this year. As I started my day with a long muddy run I had no idea that this would be the day that Canberrans have been half expecting dreading for months. My family surprised me with a platter of crepes on my return. I went to the home of an artist where unbeknownst to me she showed me the final result of a portrait of myself (will talk more about this project another post). Then after getting some work done I found out that Canberra had its first covid case in over a year and was thus going to go into a snap lockdown. All of a sudden we had about five hours before we would be stuck in our homes. I should have felt deflated but instead felt a sense of euphoria because I was presented with the rare kind of decision making that I enjoy for its inherent logic and prioritization - If you only had five hours before being stuck in your house for a week or weeks what would you do?

As the lines in the grocery stores reached epic lengths Jakob and I took a stroll to a cute Japanese restaurant and had a leisurely lunch in the sunshine. Then we bought fancy cheeses and went to the library (where we unfortunately left the fancy cheese and are hoping the librarians noticed before locking the doors). I was feeling good about my chosen priorities and was now left with only an hour or so before school pick up - to the market or to the climbing gym? I am happy to report I entered lockdown with sore forearms and a sense of contentment about my life choices. As the covid cases in Canberra trickled up I did an indoor puzzle set up by my family and enjoyed a sumptuous dinner. As I drifted off to sleep on my first night of lockdown and turned the page to chapter 37 of my life our friend gently closed the covers of his book. August 12th definitely gave me more than I expected.