Our normal lives revolve around sports pickups and games in September.  There is nearly always someone playing something somewhere.  Food shopping, preparation and serving have been scheduled around what time practice is done, if there is game to attend at home, and the predicted arrival time of the bus bringing the team home.

This year, there is still real hope for sporting events at the high school level here. We have two weeks of practice and scrimmages within our own school.  But if all is going well at the end of that initial test, the governor promises he will open it up to games within our own state.  It will be different, of course.  The maximum number allowed will only be 150 people, and even then, social distancing will have to be practiced.

But for now, we go to the grocery store when we want to. 

We plan our supper menus according to what we want to eat without concerns of the various teams’ schedules, and who has to leave to get whom, when.

We eat at a table, and don’t worry about making food that could be eaten on the sidelines—or easily reheated for the late arrivals.  

We even sit together (mostly anyway—two still have evening trade school classes).

Calm, unrushed meals as a family.  Definitely, this is a silver lining—in September especially!