MAYBE, JUST MAYBE:
MONDAY, MONDAY

OK, now I’ve really lost it. I was sure Thursday was Saturday, so when the weekend actually arrived I was ready to write my Monday thoughts.

But it wasn’t Monday, and I didn’t have my Monday schedule functioning in my head, and I didn’t have my Monday feelings to share on Monday. Anyway, it’s now Tuesday, and—oh, never mind.

2020 is almost over, and it feels like it’s lasted a decade. Most people I speak with have had enough already; we’re beyond ready for a break. Next Monday, I will do a wrap-up of the year and look forward to a much more sane and organized exit from this nightmare—as well as an exit from my house and back into my life.

But for now, I’ve decided to just stay put: to quarantine and wait. There appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel. A new President will be sworn in. There is a vaccine. There is real hope.

So I’ll watch as many new movies during the holidays as I usually do, but I’ll do it at home. I’ll catch the beginning of the new NBA season, but not in the stands next to my son, Jesse, or fellow faithful fans like Bruce Resnikoff, Gary Kelly, Jeff Harleston and Marc Cimino, cheering and being an endlessly disappointed Clippers fan. Instead, I’ll be on my couch, texting away.

I’ll take my headphones and sit on the porch and catch up on music that I want to sample. I’ll crack some books that are sitting in my stack and browse Amazon for recommendations, usually finding one or two gems to peruse during the holidays, when relaxation is a little easier. For many years, I would go rifling through the record-shop racks and bookstore shelves, seeing what caught my eye. It taught me lessons on in-store marketing techniques. That’s more difficult now, due not just to the pandemic, but to the fact that small retailers have become an endangered species.

We all need a little break—maybe more than a little. We’ve all fought the good fight this year against loneliness, solitude and claustrophobia, no matter our personal circumstances. We’re still here. Music is flourishing and the business of music is alive and well.

Everyone needs a deep breath of relaxation. We’ve earned it. Here it comes.