How you know it is Monday. . .(Day 341)

Remember how earlier in the year, I'd get the days confused because we were still living in a half-lockdown world and everyday was basically the same minus a zoom or two?

I am feeling nostalgic for those days. Those were the days of never leaving the house and living in pajamas that we claimed were athleisure and being really clear on the guidelines for gathering (wear a mask. Come near someone with Covid and quarantine). 

Now, I am very clear on the days of the week--today is Monday--but not so clear on how to behave in the world, which lacks any order or consistency. 

And I know today is Monday because Monday things happened: the wind kept blowing open unlocked doors; everyone was grumpy; and I spent two hours making a COVID test appointment for my son for tomorrow because we are going to go see the Pentatonix in concert tomorrow night. 

The pandemic has added to my list of privileged white lady problems--yet I still persist forward doing my privleged thing, despite the endless mental work it adds to my plate. Yes, of course dear children, we will see one of your favorite groups in concert, during a pandemic, on a Tuesday! Of course, this is easy peasy! (minus the COVID entry requirements and tests and papers). 

I mean honestly, what is wrong with me? 

Don't get me wrong, we are going. We will have an incredible time. I am really excited. The girls are over the moon. Nicholas is a bit nervous about getting his second dose of the vaccine and a COVID test all in one day. He knows that Tuesday is the day of all things COVID, except, of course, actual COVID (praise Jesus). He was at first outraged--after all, he'll have two doses under his belt tomorrow before the show; but not the two weeks to make everything done and dusted. 

And, it did take me three days to figure out what the specific entry requirements were--every concert and every venue is different. And one concert at the same venue could have different requirements than another concert at the very same venue. And some places require that you use an app to show your vaccine status, others just make you wave your papers through the air like you are at an auction and then others examine your ID and vaccine and test records like you are trying to cross the border between East and West Germany back in the day. You don't really know what experience you'll get until you get there; so you have to be prepared for the pre-Berlin Wall type experience.

Everywhere has different, complicated, inconsistent requirments, which I can tell you, you are absolutely not allowed to question (especially at school!), lest you be accused of something called "whataboutery*"or badgering** and discussed as "that parent" at bars and in group texts and during staff meerings. I am not exagerating even the littlest bit--as I've been accused of both transgressions when I was faced with conflicting, confusing, arbituary directives regarding vaccination and quarantining and testing requirements and vaccination. 

And look, in the end I actually don't ever care what the specifics of the policies are, just that I understand what in the world I have to do and that somehow we find some consistency in this world of COVID. It is health check fatigue that I am experiencing--every day is like figuring out how to travel to different country with new requirements that sometimes make sense, often seem like overkill and other times don't seem like enough. 

Seriously, can we all just pick a way forward? 

*Whataboutery leaves me speechless.  Google it. And then know someone accused of this in an email to someone else and that someone else inadvertently forwarded to me three weeks ago and I've been unable to reply. 

**I should badger the whatboutery lady!