One of the developments of this period of besiegement is that, in my personal life (and even to some extent, in my work life), deadlines have almost completely vanished.  That is, except for one.

Last summer I took over a job in the SCA, perhaps one of the silliest jobs available (which pairs nicely with that most serious position of Lawspeaker, perhaps),  As the Tyrant-at-Arms of the College of Heralds Imaginary, I am responsible for making people laugh each April 1, when we produce a Heraldic Letter of Intent of goofy names and armory that could actually have existed under the rules of our College of Heralds.  Since choosing our theme by vote last fall—Literature and Books—I’ve been working with a small group of people thinking up names of books or characters in literature, documenting their names, and, for most, thinking up arms for them.

When the pandemic hit, we already had most of our names ready and armory for about 1/4 of the entries. Over the last three weeks we’ve been working to complete the letter, in a time in which I definitely do not feel like laughing most of the time.  It would be fairly easy to just let it go this year—but I’ve pressed on.  Part of it is my sense of keeping this last prior commitment from a simpler time in life.  Part of it is that, even in all of this, I am still finding moments where I can still laugh, and I suspect others are in the same boat.  Part of it is just the chance to once again be creative.

I realized earlier this morning that I need to sit down and have a good cry soon.  Those emotions need to be acknowledged and released.  But I think that can wait a day or two more, while I make time for a little bit of laughter, and dream that perhaps this time, next year, the laughter will come as naturally as the first buds of spring.