Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

Yesterday we drove up th see our older son,wife and grandson. We were celebrating our son's and his wife's birthdays this month. It was a warm, sunny day, and none of us had been exposed to covid all week, so we dared drive to a nearby town and eat outside for lunch. We had tapas and olives and cheese bread and scallops and all good things. We took our leisurely time, and shared chocolate mousse, except for the six year old who had soft serve with chocolate sauce which he almost finished. Then we drove back to their house and watched the grandson show off his robot, which he had programed, and we strolled along beside him while he rode his new bike around a cul de sac. We left at four, having had a semi normal day, and having eaten not inside, but outside a really good restaurant with great food. We've all missed birthday outings so much, and what we missed this time was our daughter and family. Before covid we had a crowd, but now our younger son, his wife and child have moved two states away, and the older is comtemplating a move a state away this coming summer. We will be perhaps just our daughter, her husband and two boys. This stage of our family is the getting on with their own lives and not needing us for babysitting phase. My parents did a terrific job of traveling, playing golf, eating out with friends and playing bridge. But covid makes all of those kind of activities tricky, so we do hiking, walking with friends or reading, doing puzzles and watching DVDs. Socializing is the big challenge. Even our women's group took a hiatus for six weeks because of omicron, and we are all super careful. It's that we all have grandchildren whom we must protect, and some of theirs and two of mine are too young to be vaccinated. Today my husband and I are trying to figure out where to go for a weekend for our 48th wedding anniversary. The first place we thought of has a huge hot springs mineral pool, but then we figured that's not safe, with a lot of people breathing in the steam. Another place has jacked up their prices way beyond the amenities. Now we're looking at other places that seem safe and only an hour or two away. And what I'd really like is friends to celebrate with, and just stay home. Ah, well.