Over the past few weeks, I’ve been surprised at how easily I have returned to many pre-pandemic activities now that I am fully vaccinated and restrictions have been lifted.
I recently attended a friend’s 50th birthday party, I cheered on the Richmond Kickers at City Stadium alongside thousands of others, and this past weekend, my sister and her family visited from out of state. It was wonderful to reconnect after 18 months apart.
In each instance, I’ve made sure to soak up every detail and appreciate activities that have been out of reach for the past year-plus. But as “normal” as life is starting to feel, things still don’t feel quite right.
Though I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate during this tumultuous time, I know many have suffered unimaginable hardships — sickness, the death of a loved one, a loss of income, hunger and worse. In many places in the world, the pandemic is still wreaking havoc.
Last summer’s racial reckoning also brought to the forefront systemic racism, a problem that unfortunately is still very much with us, as change requires legislation that in most cases has not come to fruition.
I worry about the long-term societal effects of widespread trauma caused by these collective experiences.
Writer Kim Catley explores how we can constructively deal with the isolation, trauma and grief of the past year in “Big Feelings” on Page 98. She checks out Rage RVA, where you pay to work out your frustrations by smashing stuff, introduces readers to laughter yoga devotee Slash Coleman, and she talks to licensed professional counselor Karla Helbert about the importance of allowing yourself to experience grief. No matter what avenue you choose to express yourself, what’s important is that you allow yourself to feel all the feelings, good and bad.
Music and ice cream are things that always make me feel better, and we have both of those for you in this issue, too.
Food Editor Eileen Mellon had the difficult job of spearheading our “Cool Summer” feature (Page 110), an in-depth exploration of all things ice cream in RVA. The region has seen an explosion of ice cream purveyors in recent years, and there are likely more than a few places you will want to check out. I’ve been sampling the leftovers from our photo shoot, and I can say confidently that all of our featured flavors are worth a try.
On Page 104, Harry Kollatz Jr. looks at the 40-year history of Carytown institution Plan 9 Music. I have many fond memories of visiting the iconic record store in college, checking out CDs at their first listening stations and swinging by to purchase some of my favorite albums on the day they dropped. It’s a fun look at a business that has weathered some difficult times but is currently enjoying the resurgence of vinyl records. What goes around comes around, as they say.
