I owe an apology to all my friends, whom I promised a walk together or just a brief visit. I didn't manage to keep this promise. It's the pandemic fault. Two years of "new" life.
The first issue is the time. According to the rules and common sense, I should meet you individually, one by one, or in small groups. This, of course, outside my working hours, matching my free time with yours. During the week, my energies are drained by the work. In addition, I've been spending almost all my weekends in the countryside, when not playing organ in the church. I could meet only some of you and with long intervals. I tried to keep in touch with the most via socials, e-mails, and phone. I couldn't and cannot do more, sorry.
The second issue is that isolation made me more and more misanthropic. My patience towards the "others" decreased and I "cleaned" my contact list, removing people, whose conspiratorial theories or self piety were unbearable or not worth the time to listen to them. Quite cynical, I must admit. Nevertheless, I met new friends and I strengthened the relationship with other really good friends. Not so misanthropic after all. Even better, the limited contact favored the dialogue, talking more freely about private issues and feelings. However, I fear, I developed a real allergy against large groups. I wouldn't attend (or even worse organize) dinner with a lot of (statistically speaking, mostly Italian) "friends" anymore.
Winning the suspicion towards our next will be the greatest challenge in the next years, when (or if?) we manage to exit the pandemic. Something to work on.
