Living The Dog Days of COVID-19 At The Jersey Shore

I was keeping things even-keeled the last several months. Staying cool, calm, and collected in hopes the pandemic would be an afterthought by the end of July... BOY, was I wrong… COVID-19 still continues to be one giant QUESTION MARK. It’s the end of July, the virus is still present and the recent hot summer days have sparked restlessness with many of us. Literally, I think I heard my mom shout the F word for the first time since she gave birth to me. This is the dog days of COVID-19.

Now let’s start thinking positively…

We all have ways to help us get in better moods. Many of those things may now be restricted but we still can go to the beach, eat from our favorite restaurants, and spend quality time with loved ones. Someone once said, “It could always be worse.”

Thankfully, one more thing can be added to the list of things that can lift our spirits… LIVE SHOWS! “Drive-In-Live” at Monmouth Park has given me a breath of fresh air. Thanks to the Basie Center for the Arts I will be able to see one of my favorite bands, The Front Bottoms!! After reading Matt Ryan's post, I quickly reached out to a few friends, bought a ticket and saved the date.

Saving a date and looking forward to something felt like a forgotten feeling. Now it is awesome seeing many of us, once again marking our calendars. Birthday parties, rescheduled wedding ceremonies, barbecues, and now LIVE SHOWS!

The dog days of Covid-19 are simply not fun. However, if we mix rejuvenated spirits with safe social distancing procedures, you can only think we will soon have defeated the coronavirus.

Stay safe and thank you to all our healthcare workers.