Stay patient and the good times will return
THE YOUNG fella was due to make his Communion on Saturday, and what a day it could have been.
The excited sound of children joyfully playing on bouncy castles would have whistled from back gardens all across the parish, while adults chewed the fat, regaling humorous tales as the sun beamed down sweetly from above.
We couldn’t let the date pass without marking it in some way, so we did make a fuss of him, and in truth the little lad had a ball as he splashed about in the paddling pool, scoffed barbecued food, munched enough jellies to fill a car boot, and gorged himself with lashings of chocolate cake.
He even threw on the pristine suit, which we had purchased well in advance of the big day, for a while so we could get a few snaps of the handsome chappy looking as dapper as a football team on cup final day.
By the time the actual Communion day comes around, the trousers will probably be three-quarter length pants, so we can be forgiven for getting some use out of them.
Sadly, that’s another one of the list of special occasions that has been altered greatly due to the cursed coronavirus.
The good wife had to make do with a meal cooked by yours truly, mercifully washed down with a few glasses of vino instead of dining in style in some swanky restaurant for her birthday recently, but needs must in these most trying of times.
We also have a wedding anniversary coming up next weekend, and herself will again have to settle for some culinary delights made with my creative hands.
Junior even kindly suggested that he’d stick on the Communion glad rags again and act as waiter.
I think I’d better take him up on the offer, just to get a second wear out of it, if nothing else.
Of course, there’s many more youngsters around the country that were in the same boat at the weekend, and will be in the weeks and months ahead, so if eight- and nine-year-olds can forego a milestone event that they had prepared for and had been looking forward to, while still managing to keep smiles on their faces, the rest of us will just have to suck it up and settle for what life brings us.
Players and fans alike are yearning for the day they’ll be able to experience the escapism that only sport brings, but we all have to ensure that it doesn’t come at a cost.
There’s some that would probably jump at the chance to play at the earliest opportunity, but for many the thoughts of returning to the pitch will stir up understandable worries about contracting the virus and passing it on to an elderly or vulnerable relative.
We can clearly see those different attitudes in society, as some selfishly flout the regulations, while others barely step outside the door for fear of prolonging the lockdown.
Uncertainty is the biggest bugbear for many of those itching to get back on to the pitch.
Not knowing when, or if, they’ll be able to pull on the jersey and lace up the boots again this year must be eating players up inside.
While some are eyeing a date in and around the middle of August for the return of G.A.A. club championships, the cold fact is that it’s very possible that there will be no Gaelic games, at local or national level, at all this year.
Similarly, local soccer leagues may remain unfinished at a time when next season was due to kick off, while we might have already seen all the SSE Airtricity League action we’re going to witness this calendar year.
Hopefully contact sports will be possible in the not-too-distant future, but with social distancing looking like it will be a part of everyday life for some time to come, the truth is nobody can say with any degree of certainty what the future holds.
A lot of pain has already been felt by a lot of people, and many could really do with a welcome release from the other hardships of life, but the fact remains that unnecessary risks can’t be taken with sport, particularly that of the amateur variety.
If the hard decision to cancel sporting leagues and championships needs to be made, hopefully the call will come at the earliest possible moment, so people can get their heads around it, accept it and move on.
Dragging on and wading through the murky waters of uncertainty will only only add to the frustration for players, mentors and supporters alike.
On the plus side, we will be able to observe how other countries, who are a few weeks ahead of us in the process, manage as they take steps on the road to recovery, although it may not be prudent to draw parallels with the experiences of professional sports.
Patience is certainly a virtue. The young lad reminded me of that at the weekend when he celebrated what was supposed to be his Communion in the best of spirits, and when we get the chance to do it all properly, we’ll make sure it’s a day to remember.
There will be plenty of good days to come in sporting spheres too and I, for one, will cherish every single second.
Stay safe and sensible.