I drove towards the Poconos for one last task before break, which after it was done, would allow abandon. What a wonderful time and what a wonderful season that was – Right before the Covid 19 pandemic broke out and changed the course of world history.

With my last case visit before break completed, I started my journey home, thinking about how everything was in its place with my work, my parents, and my friends. Earlier that day, my boss told me she appreciated my hard work over the past year and that I deserved a great vacation.

Snow covered the surfaces of the parking lots and yards I passed. The little shops in that town looked like log cabins. Before getting onto the highway, I stopped into a local shop, The Pocono Cheesecake Factory, to pick up a cheesecake. My adopted, ninety-six-year-old grandmother and I, cheesecake connoisseurs, would taste test the cake several times over the next week before deciding that we liked our local Cheesecake Factory cheesecake better due to its softer texture.

My routine dental visit that week turned into a spontaneous but much-needed wisdom tooth extraction, which freed me of gum discomfort. Over break, I relaxed, ate soft foods (cheesecake), and spent time with those I couldn’t spend time with during a typical work week. I found and finished engaging television series like The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Haunting of Hill House, which both reaffirmed the important place in our lives of those we love.

We all get perfect moments in life, which allow us reprieve from life’s suffering, and 2019’s winter break was reprieve and bliss wrapped into one. That time was magical and its memories, and memories like it, have the power to dull any sadness that may come after.