I live in New Jersey, near Princeton. It’s a pretty little town with a lake and a downtown. We’re surrounded by farms, though not as many as there used to be. My kids have spent their entire lives in this little town, growing up with the ice cream place two doors down and the pizza place a little further than that. Spent every summer at the rec camp and walked to school until they had to take a bus to high school. It’s an insular place and a good place to be a kid.
That is, until 2020. Not only has the coronavirus pandemic made socializing – forget about schooling – impossible, but everything was closed down until July. My daughter, who works as a counselor at rec camp, opted not to work this summer after wanting to work the entire summer before COVID hit. Camp never opened anyway. Shortly after the pizza place set up an outdoor dining area, it burned down. So no pizza for anybody. Thankfully, you can still get ice cream if you’re willing to stand in line, socially distanced. A few weeks ago, someone literally drove through the bank branch lobby across the street from our house. I’m waiting for locusts. Seriously, it’s 2020.
Wildfires are raging across California and Oregon. It is absolutely frightening, and even if you’re not in the path of the fire, the air is so filled with smoke and ash, you can’t breathe anyway. Now, pray like hell you’re not in a COVID hot spot because the entire state is a literal hot spot. There’ve been devastating hurricanes, floods and tornadoes in the last few months and hurricane season is really heating up. Yeah, it’s 2020.
Last night, at 2 am, we were jolted awake by a loud booming sound and the house shaking. The two most likely scenarios were an explosion somewhere nearby or an earthquake. After a flurry of excitement with the children who were still awake at 2 am (?!?!) – one kid going outside to see if there was anything to see – everyone went back to bed. By 6 am, the news was reporting a 3.1 earthquake with its epicenter in Freehold, just a few miles away from us. To be honest, I was actually concerned that a car may have driven through another building or that there was a gas explosion in a neighboring town.
With the election only weeks away, all manner of catastrophe, natural or otherwise, is completely expected. After all, it is 2020.