RESET

Gotta clean up the kiosk of my life! It's too full, and much of what it's full of is outdated or rubbish. In January 2020, my resolution for the new year was to systematically set aside time for three important activities: my contract work at Public Health, my art, and my website (which includes this blog). Looking back at my calendar log, I see that I was doing very well. I was also traveling regularly to see my kids and grandchildren, and my mother. I was able to maintain high level status with my favorite airline for a second year in a row. Then, the COVID pandemic changed not just my life, but the life of every person on Earth.

In my most recent blog post more than a YEAR ago, I talked about how I spent weeks taking care of one grandson who lived close enough that we could consider our "pod" to include him and his parents in either of our homes. We've continued to see them regularly. Last summer, I nervously traveled by air to care for another grandson. When I returned home, COVID cases had begun to rise where I live, so I rejoined the Public Health workforce part-time. When things seemed to be getting a little better, my husband and I drove to see that grandson and his parents, and were also able to visit my father-in-law who lives near them. We also traveled by air on a multi-city trip in the fall first to visit my mother and then our grand-daughter and her parents. I could not give up seeing my own children and their families, and we needed to do our part for our own parents. We double-masked and socially distanced, tested frequently before and after travel, and were both able to remain healthy, as were our loved ones.

November was a very different story everywhere. It seemed that everyone believed that the pandemic was ending. Kids had gone back to school in the fall and guidelines were relaxed. In our town, it was Halloween parties that started a COVID fire that lasted into the spring. I ended up working lots more than full-time, and my husband volunteered many hours in the COVID Vaccine Clinic where I served as Lead Vaccinator/Volunteer Vaccinator Coordinator. Our team administered many more than 20,000 vaccinations from the end of December through mid-May. Our very small town has been featured in the New York Times for our efficiency and thoroughness.

Once again, guidelines were relaxed around Memorial Day. We took off on a road trip in our brand-new motor coach and clocked 5,500+ miles between our home, the East Coast, the West Coast, and back home. I wasn't working for nearly 6 weeks. Unfortunately, now we're back up to a high risk level again, not just locally, but all over the country. People just don't get it!!! They think COVID is a political joke!

What's next??? It's so very hard to RESET the kiosk of one's life when everyone and everything else is hellbent on chaos.