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I Feel Free

This will probably be my last post on this blog, unless something surprising and dramatic happens in the future—and hey, if this last year and a half has taught us anything, it's that surprising and dramatic things happen.

Here's all the big, good news I have:

❤️    I, my partner, and all of our immediate family members are fully vaccinated and have been since late April. We officially all survived to get the vaccine, including most notably my lovely 87-years-young grandmother.

❤️    My partner gave birth to our second child, a beautiful baby girl, who unfortunately spent three days in the NICU as a very small, very-nearly-premature baby with low blood sugars, but is now healthy and growing strong.

❤️    The spread of the virus is lower than ever in the US (if I'm reading the data right), and in my area, the government's mask mandate has been lifted for vaccinated people.

❤️    My partner and I got to hang out with a friend from outside our pandemic bubble in person, and our oldest daughter finally got to interact with someone else her own age—all at what was our favorite place during the pandemic: the Milwaukee County Zoo.

And if you don't mind, want to share a brief story about this last event:

My friend's son was in a similar position as our daughter—almost totally unsocialized with other kids due to the pandemic, so rather than just get them together for a playdate we wanted to go to neutral territory to "grease the wheels of interaction" (we compared it to going on a first date—where you go skating or have dinner together so there's something to do and talk about). The zoo had recently lifted its mask mandate for outdoor areas, and with all of us adults vaccinated and eager to meet, it finally seemed like the perfect time and opportunity.

The kids were shy at first, but what really helped my daughter break out of her shell was when we took the kids to the zoo's playground. Words cannot describe the joy I experienced as I watched my daughter realize that she was allowed and encouraged to go off on her own and explore with the other kids all around her. It was a long-restrained dream come true and was the moment that I felt like the pandemic was finally, really, actually coming to a close.

I hope you, your family, and your friends continue to stay healthy and sane.
-Ryan
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