So now we’re in another lockdown. A state of emergency lockdown. Shit’s getting real.

Well, my shit has been pretty real ever since last March because I take all of this shit seriously but now there will be dire consequences for those who don’t . Take it seriously, I mean.

All I can say is, for those of us mindful of quarantine, playing by the rules and learning to live in isolation, thank goodness we can still eat and drink wine! Two of my favourite things.

Which brings me to THE TWEET.

Last week I saw a tweet which asked if buying beer and booze was really “essential” in a pandemic. Wondering why, in the interest of public safety, small businesses were forced to close or limit themselves to curbside pickup yet the LCBO and beer store were cheerfully open and even hopping with happy customers and “very few controls”. Was it really essential?

I rarely respond to tweets but I did to this one. With one word. “Yes.”

I do understand that evaluating “fairness” in this pandemic can’t be easy. The struggle between economics and public health is real. Not every decision will please every person.

But … after 10 months of this plague, which by all accounts is going to get worse before it gets better, to insinuate that the consumption of adult beverages is non-essential smacks (to me) of moralizing. Judgmentalism. High-horsedness. God, I hate high-horsedness.

I don’t want to argue what is fair here. I don’t want to discuss if the local florist or dress shop has less value than an alcoholic beverage. I feel immensely sad for floundering small businesses everywhere. My beloved is unable to work at present and even though I can, my salary has been significantly diminished. We are not living in a champagne fountain.

But we do like a nice cold beer or a glass of Pinot Grigio. And I reckon so do many others. I also reckon that the fine folks at Queen’s Park and in Ottawa determined many months ago that removing enjoyable libations along with EVERYTHING else would be torturous. And counterproductive.

And if you want to belabor the “very few controls” issue I will offer that if I could have my wine delivered to my house I most certainly would. In the meantime, I see as many controls at the liquor store as I do at the grocery store. Everybody is trying. Not always succeeding but trying.

Brazilian lyricist and novelist Paulo Coelho once said “Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”

Agreed. Life is currently offering us uncertainty. Loneliness. Even fear. Let us taste, sip, ZOOM with our people and get through this!

As for Judgmental Tweeter-Dude … please … shut up. Decide for yourself what is essential and go live your truth. We will all respect you for not having another drop until every business can open.

As a matter of fact, we will even drink to you.