“I never expected this in a million years”
That was pretty much the feeling for every American in 2020. That’s especially how Ed Paris felt as he tried opening his Famous Waffle Sandwich in Kearny Mesa during the pandemic.
“There was a lot of different speed bumps and curve balls thrown at me,” said Paris.
Speed bumps and curveballs could be the symbols for 2020. It’s hard thinking about anything good.
“The dog started to ask, like, ‘Are you guys ever going to leave? Because I kind of liked having the house all my own,’” chuckled Michael Balog while holding on to his dog Lila.
“I miss being able to go to nice restaurants once in a while,” said a man named Lynn who strolled around Del Mar’s Dog Beach with a purple Crown Royal bag strapped to his face.
“Hey, you know, if I do a little cutting and sewing, I got me a dandy thing with room for a beard,” he said.
“I miss smiles, and I miss the social interaction; the stuff that’s subtle and you realize that’s there all the time, but you realize that you don’t miss it until it’s gone,” continued Balog. “It’s a terrible feeling. We’re out here at the beach and people have masks on. It’s just not natural.”
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“It was hard to go out and enjoy some of the stuff that we normally do,” said Paris.
“What I hated was staying inside all day and having no sports at all,” said Paris’ son Jared, who was working behind the counter.
Ed Paris was stumped when pressed to think of something good about 2020. It was a rough year for small business owners.
“It was a bad year for a lot of people and hopefully this year will be a lot better,” said Lynn through his Crown Royal bag.
“I learned that being around your family is actually really pretty cool,” said Balog.
“I liked spending time with my family,” agreed Jared, an 8th grader who was forced into distance learning last March as a 7th grader.
“The biggest message is to be patient,” concluded Lynn.
Yet another challenge for 2021.
