You Can Be Sad With Decisions You Agree With

Friday, the Texas governor announced that schools would not be reopening this school year. This decision is the right one. I would have been terribly upset if the decision was otherwise. We probably would have refused to allow our children to go back, not while the cases of covid-19 continue to climb in our area.

And.

I teared up. I have a high school senior. We already figured that prom wouldn't happen (and her dress hangs, beautiful and unused, in her closet), probably not graduation. The big things.

But it was knowing that she'll never walk back into that building that choked me up. She got out of school for spring break, and school never resumed. She never had the moment of looking at the familiar hallways with a blend of "at last!" and sentimentality, realizing one part of her life is complete. She won't get that last day of school, saying goodbye to favorite teachers. Signing yearbooks. Exchanging foolish promises with friends to stay in touch.

You can't logic away feelings, nor should you. We have to just live with complexity. Relief that the government is doing the right thing to protect lives. And sadness for the loss of the ordinary dumb things that before we could just take for granted.

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