Life in the Age of Corona

A Daily Diary

Friday, April 2nd, 2021

Eighteen

Today eighteen years ago EM was born at 01:03 after 31 hours of labor by C-section.

Looking back it was well worth the trouble. Now she is a proud, beautiful young woman ready to set out in life. I am so very proud of the wonderful and caring person she has become.

We started the day with unwrapping the few gifts I had for her, the main gift being tonight’s dinner for five, which would easily have bought a round trip ticket to Europe and then some. The fun gift was the pandemic picnic table for squirrels, something bored people designed and then produced at the beginning of the pandemic, so probably a year ago. The meaningful gift was a jewelry set from my collection consisting of white and yellow gold earrings, a matching ring, and a dainty yellow gold necklace. The practical gift two hoodies and a t-shirt marking her senior year. This was accompanied by birthday cake for breakfast.

Around 16:00 the BF, the BFF and her mum joined us to toast eighteen magical years with South African champagne and a sliver of birthday cake before we headed to the main event at the other side of town. Given I had made a reservation for an outside table we brought several layers of scarfs and jackets.

Fortunately, the restaurant had the foresight to close the patio because of the chilling winds and seat us in an atrium with windows open and heaters on. A good choice as our seven-course meal lasted for almost four hours. The food was delicious, the wine paired with the dishes excellent and I think everyone enjoyed the experience, even if EM did not feel well by the time the entrees arrived. Of course, all servings were small, nonetheless we are now all in a food comma.

Looking back at the years with EM we have had some great adventures. We have lived in four different cities on three continents. We have travelled extensively and taken in much of what life has had to offer. This has shaped her, made her a curious world citizen. She has an amazingly balanced temperament, infinite patience. I hope I have given her the values and ethics she will need to succeed in life. I feel beyond a wide range of experiences this is most precious thing we parents can give to our children.

Today’s events have had us almost forget about the virus and the pandemic. It felt so much like a normal day, especially our first restaurant visit in over a year.