I hesitate to say “post COVID” or “post pandemic” even though there are signs of the new normal as organizations roll out their plans for employees to return to the office, states drop their mask mandates and businesses are allowed to open at full capacity. But when will we be truly “post COVID”? While the U.S. COVID-19 cases and deaths are at new lows, the global situation is far different and the variants continue to be a concern. Globally, there have been more deaths in 2021 than all of 2020. So it is far from over.

I am glad that I live and work in states with high vaccine rates and where mask mandates were accepted and not protested. In both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, over 60% of the population has received the first dose. In fact, all the New England states are at that level of vaccination, and all are over 50% fully vaccinated.

In the past few weeks, I have experienced more “firsts” in this transition to the new normal. We had friends over for dinner. Our Saturday morning outing at the local farmers market no longer requires masks. Wandering the stalls with our two little dogs, it is good to chat with strangers like we used to. We went to a Red Sox game and seeing so many people in one place was a big change. The wave doesn’t catch on the same at partial capacity but the enthusiasm for the Red Sox hasn’t changed. At my hair salon, my most recent haircut was the first without a mask; they are no longer required if you are vaccinated. On my daily walks, I no longer cross the street when someone else is walking towards me with their dogs but rather stop and talk and let the dogs do their sniffing thing.

Being in public places without a mask is one thing. But being with family is what I have truly missed. Our immediate family (our two daughters, their husbands and all the grandchildren) has not all been together since early November. Our few get togethers last year were outside socially distanced with masks as needed. We respected everyone’s comfort level and deferred to the least comfortable. The adults in the family are fully vaccinated. With four grandchildren under the age of 12, there are still some concerns about unmasked kids being together. That is a challenge all parents will have to sort out in the coming months until there is a vaccine for them. Dr. Kavita Patel shared a very useful resource for parents on Twitter.

For all the families trying to navigate summer with their unvaccinated kids h/t Your Local Epidemiologist pic.twitter.com/wyzZtuNFOp

— Kavita Patel M.D. (@kavitapmd) June 12, 2021

This coming weekend will be our first big family gathering since before the pandemic. We will celebrate Father’s Day and my youngest grandchild’s 5^th birthday.  He is the youngest of his generation in my family. The oldest of that generation just graduated from high school back in Minnesota where I grew up and where all my siblings, nieces and nephew and their children live. They were able to have a graduation party for family and friends this past weekend – something they probably didn’t expect would be possible when her senior year started. My sister described it afterwards as a big “COVID coming out” party with lots of hugging. We will see my Minnesota family when we take our first vacation trip in August. At that point, it will be almost two years since our last visit.

I have seen joy on the faces of my team at Boston Children’s Hospital as they describe their upcoming trips to see family around the country that they have not seen since 2019. Some of that joy is just the idea of a vacation break after a very long, hard year.

Celebrating holidays and important milestones with family and friends are part of all our lives. I know that family is what I have missed the most. Unlike so many families, we are fortunate that we did not lose anyone to COVID-19. As we transition to the new normal, what truly matters becomes clearer to each of us. Family is at the top of the list for me. I hope you have plenty of time with family and friends this summer and many long overdue hugs with your loved ones.