And, so life goes on – well, sort of! I find that my biggest hurdle is loneliness. In the beginning I was trying to adjust to being a widow. Now it seems as if I must adjust to getting out of bed each morning! I find that working out on my treadmill is my favorite thing, besides Starbucks breakfast sandwiches and Safeway’s deviled egg potato salad. To this I have added my daughter’s homemade chicken salad and son Chris’ sense of humor! Life revolves around avoiding the news (it is never good), observing the huge bruise on my left hand, and missing the old routines that brought love and laughter into my days.
The bruise happened in the process of pulling an aggressive porcelain berry bush out of an equally aggressive Japanese honeysuckle. It doesn’t help that I am on blood thinner! The bruise is now over a week old and has turned a fetching navy blue. It is actually much less painful than it looks. I call my friends to check in and we fondly speak of how delicious the chocolate cake is at our favorite place to lunch in Portland. We also discuss how much we hate the words “Covid” and “pandemic”! For some reason, I have gotten it in my head that “pan” means “with” – hence “with demic” a condition I wish on no one! I am not a linguist!
Throughout the United States, the situation we find ourselves in is not exactly bringing out the best in mankind. Newspapers and magazines seem to have become purveyors of ills we thought long gone. Racism, demonstrations, violence – wouldn’t one think on top of all we are dealing with it’s really overkill?! Whatever happened to the appreciation of other cultures? Where is the respect garnered by the men and women who daily protect us? Sometimes, I think the only thing missing are wheelbarrows pushed through neighborhoods by men chanting “bring out your dead!”
In order to survive, I suggest watching movies, eating chocolate, QVC, and dog saliva. These are all germ free, stimulating activities. Remember dogs heal their own wounds. Also, try to see someone you love as often as possible. For me, that means my kids. It drives them crazy in a good way. Hopefully, we will not be dealing with this throughout the winter. Let’s face it – I’m pretty sure that no one out there wants to hear “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas Just be Sure You Wear a Mask”! Or, “Rudolph The Toxic Reindeer”! Maybe we will be able to hang up stockings and hope for cookies and dark chocolate Santas – instead of antibacterial soap and that old standby, toilet paper! Maybe our men in blue who try to protect us will receive large beautifully wrapped boxes of respect! And, those worthy Americans with different skin colors will link arms and stand together pledging allegiance to our mutual love of all that is good in this great country.
Maybe, just maybe, we will be seeing bare faces smiling, laughing and buying toilet paper! Hope is unlimited so it’s okay to hoard it! Human beings need to dream. When we aren’t living a dream, we hunt for it. It is perhaps our most endearing quality. With that said, my wish for all of you is that the dreams you have had to put away can be taken out and dusted off. I hope you find once again that special way of expressing the awesome uniqueness of your life.
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