So it's been a year plus some months and the Rona isn't really gone,
but life is starting to return to normal.
How did it go?
Face masks were a big deal.
I picked up bunch from Nordstrom (the bottom row) to use at work, and some fun designs
from a few other places to use on vacay and in more relaxed settings.
And these were really all I used to get through the year.
Not shown is a mask I use at martial arts class.
It's a purple Athleta mask that's been washed many times,
because it's sweaty business going through a martial arts class
with a fabric mask on. It was a gift from a friend. I like useful gifts.
The music mask was made by a friend. I liked to use it on airplanes.
It's comfy and close-fitting. Perfect for travel.
But that's been reality for the last year.
Some folks have handled it gracefully, accepting that this is how
things must be for a while until vaccinations became available.
Other people have behaved pretty badly, all things considered.
Yeah, it's not fun going through the motions with a mask on your face and
trying not to be an incubus of viral plague, but most decent people managed
to get through it without so much drama.
I read a lot of books, watched a lot of movies. Cooked food.
Slept in. Watched my teaching schedule be completely obliterated,
and what was left of it be moved to an online format.
Checked a box off my bucket list and signed up to learn a martial
art because I now had the time to do it.
Planned and re-planned vacations.
Trying to plan any sort of time away from home meant
extra work to check what the restrictions were and what was
open and what was closed. Reworking plans to include activities that
were available and trying to get in lots of outside time.
Some museums I wanted to visit were closed.
How can I avoid large crowds? Am I washing my hands enough?
I'm pretty sure my January cold was actually a bout of Rona.
An admittedly mild bout, thankfully.
A lot of time at home. Which lead to a whole re-evaluation of
what my home was made up of. Do I have too much stuff?
Should I try to sell some stuff or just give it away?
(I ended up selling stuff and just giving other stuff away)
I'm still sort of struggling with this.
I've cut some people out of my life. For several reasons,
but irrational behavior regarding the pandemic was sort of the
last straw. I'm fairly tolerant, I think, but I do have limits.
The downstairs neighbor died along the way.
I'm adjusting to life as a noisy person until a new tenant moves in.
As I write this I have the stereo cranked up loud.
Something I would never have done when the neighbor was alive.
It's been a weird year.
I've watched people behave like jerks.
I've watched others behave with compassion and empathy.
It's been sad to see so many fall into the "anti-science/vaxx" trap.
It's been extra sad to see those same people drag their kids into it.
I'm beyond grateful that my parents got their shots and
that I have my vaccinations done and we can now
start to look forward. Some travel plans have still been thrown off
course, but I think in another year or so I can get those back on track.
Plans will probably still have the Covid wrinkle in them for a while
but at least we can make plans again.
Gigs can come back.
I can play on stage again.
A fully-vaxxed musician.
No comments:
Post a Comment