(While my anonymous assistant captured some memories of our last leap day/year, he didn’t realize how special it was having our family living under the same roof for one last 6 month period.)
Ah, February 29, 2020. The leap day that leaped us right into what would affectionately (or not so affectionately) come to be known as the “Covid-times.” Little did we know, as we added that extra day to our calendars, that we were also about to add an unprecedented chapter to the story of our lives. Here’s a humorous, yet reflective look back at the transition into a world where “unprecedented” became everyone’s least favorite buzzword, and toilet paper became more valuable than gold.
The Great Indoors
Remember when “staying in” was for the introverts and the “Netflix and chill” crowd? Oh, how the tables have turned. Suddenly, our homes became our offices, our gyms, and our Michelin-star restaurants (if you squinted hard enough at your burnt toast). We became masters of our own little universes, each day a journey from the bedroom to the living room, with exotic vacations to the forgotten lands of “The Backyard.”
Zooming Through Life
Before 2020, Zoom was just a sound effect from a comic book or a feature on a camera. Fast forward a few weeks, and it’s where we lived our lives—business meetings in the top half, pajama party in the bottom half. We learned the hard way that “mute” is both a feature and a lifestyle, and that “Sorry, I was talking on mute” is the modern-day equivalent of “My dog ate my homework.”
The Fashion Revolution: Pajamas to the Rescue
Speaking of fashion, let’s have a moment of silence for our work clothes, who watched in despair from the closet as their casual cousins took center stage. Ties became relics of a bygone era, high heels gathered dust, and bras… well, let’s just say they went on an extended vacation. In the Covid-times, comfort reigned supreme, and if you managed to wear socks that matched, you were already ahead of the curve.
The Toilet Paper Chronicles
In what will surely be a puzzling chapter for future historians, the early days of the pandemic saw a global obsession with hoarding toilet paper. Supermarket aisles became battlegrounds, and a roll of two-ply was worth its weight in gold. Looking back, it’s hard not to chuckle at the absurdity of it all—our civilization’s advanced technology and sophisticated cultures, momentarily upended by the pursuit of bathroom tissue.
Learning to Laugh
Despite the challenges, or perhaps because of them, we learned the importance of laughter. We shared memes like they were going out of style (which, let’s face it, they never will), and found humor in the most unexpected places—from Zoom backgrounds gone wrong to the great sourdough bread baking saga. In a world turned upside down, laughter became our universal language, a reminder that even in the darkest times, there’s a lightness to be found.
As we reflect on the leap day that leaped us into the Covid-times, it’s with a mixture of nostalgia and disbelief. We’ve come a long way since those early days of uncertainty and toilet paper hoarding. And while we may not miss the lockdowns or the endless days of isolation, we’ll always cherish the lessons learned, the laughs shared, and the resilience discovered along the way. Here’s to leaping into the future, whatever it may hold, with the same courage, humor, and adaptability that got us through the leap year that changed everything.
Walking Down Life's Road With Andy 