Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow

I went to lunch today in Pioneer Square. I was the only one in from my team, so I went to lunch by myself. I ate at the counter of a nearby restaurant, and read a book while I waited for my food.

The restaurant was busy and lively, which was good. People were eating inside and outside on the patio. As I was finishing, I looked outside and saw someone I knew from my education advocacy days. I wasn't super close friends with this woman, but I knew her well enough to say hello as I walked out. Maggie was one of the smartest people in the group--she had tons of insight and always did her proverbial homework. She always had her facts straight and never shot from the hip. Like many of the moms in education advocacy, Maggie had previously had a rich and rewarding professional life before she became a PTA mom.

She was eating lunch with a friend who looked older than her, old enough that she probably would not have been involved in education advocacy at the same time Maggie and I were.

Maggie looked absolutely delighted to see me. Delighted. She basically ignored her friend for five minutes while we did a quick catch up.

I did something different than I would have done in my old education advocacy days. Instead of talking about my family, I talked about myself. I talked about my job and how I re-entered the workforce. Maggie told me her story, too. She had a small part-time job before she got a job a major regional employer who has a program for women returning to the workforce. She is crushing it.

So, it was nice to see her. It was great.

And it made me kind of depressed.

I wasn't depressed because I saw her, but rather because I have seen just a very small circle of friends during the pandemic. I never ran into people at lunch or dinner or out and about. Part of it because I live downtown, but part of it is because I stayed inside and only hung out with four people. And my friends also stayed inside, didn't go out, so when I did go out, I didn't see people I knew anyway.

Now, I am sad about all of the missed time, all of the people I missed.