Man. Talk about being totally blindsided! When 2019 was closing we all were looking forward to doing the things we had always done, taken for granted even. We were planning on beaches and concerts and road trips. We were gearing up for awesome times with family and friends. We were ready to continue with life as we know it, facing it with joy or complaining all the way, we never ever expected this.
The fact that it is now almost a quarter into 2021 should just reaffirm how thrown off our daily lives we all are. You all already know what I am talking about. Covid 19, Coronavirus, lockdowns, world changes, politics, the whole works.
But I am not going to talk about politics. I have had more than I can stomach of that stuff.
What I am going to talk about is how I'm doing. How we seem to be doing. What could be done better, and what has been done pretty darn well. Like the broom challenge. I did it. I got a broom to stand up THREE TIMES!!! I was pretty stoked about that! And I had totally forgotten about it since last March.
2020 started with me being without a job. By my choice. I was wearing out body parts working a job with lots of heavy lifting. I miss it, I miss my team. It was not an easy choice to make. At the absolute end of January I got hired in a job that was outside of my vision but turned out to be a pretty good fit. I work in a small AFC with some of the best people ever, both coworkers and people we serve. My goal is that this will be the job I retire from with the ability to go back and visit as will. It is not an easy job but it is a good one.
Tom also had just recently started a new job. Tom is my husband for those of you who aren't familiar. You'll see him in a few of my other posts. Things were beginning to resettle into routine. And then, suddenly, there was a pandemic.
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| Lake Michigan, Frankfort beach. Way less people than usual. |
The most startling part about the pandemic and Michigan's orders was driving around Crystal Lake and seeing.... no docks going in. No boats. No activity at all. It was haunting. I know we all complain about tourists (ok, yeah, we call them Fudgies) but it was spooky. As spooky as not hearing any airplanes some years ago. There was a definite void in the little county that I live in. Then the libraries closed. Oh my goodness. It never occurred to me that they would close libraries. How do we live without libraries? You have to understand. our libraries are living active places that people rely on for so much. Many people only have internet because of the libraries. Some people only have a social life through them. They are safe places, full of wonderful books, history, connectivity.
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| Wild life was active. This is on a flooded trail near Elberta |
No one was open 24 hours any more. That hurt. I work nights, and going shopping at night was a natural part of my day. It is only recently that one of the gas stations in the county opened for overnights. The lack of convenience hit hard. Our lives are not easy to schedule around (is anyones?) and the lack of options made things especially challenging.
Then Tom was let go from his new job. Coronavirus caused worldwide shortages of parts, so they weren't able to keep up production enough to keep everyone employed. Unemployment was awesome... if you could get it. It was a flat out nightmare. Happily another company was seeing such an increase of orders that they were actually expanding their plant and hiring. Tom got hired pretty quickly. Then my daughter, who worked in retail, decided that was enough of the crap people were subjecting her and her coworkers to, so she gave notice and quit.
What is it about retail and hospitality in particular that brings out the worse in people? I mean, people are absolute jerks to these workers! Harrassing the workers about policy is demeaning and stupid and will not solve anything! There are tons of videos out there that show some of the cream of the crop being absolute ... I have no words for what they are being. It just is horrible. Who raised them up to be so evil? What could possibly be the reason that they see their actions and words as being justified? I just don't get it. We sure have seen lots of ugly this year.
I don't mean to be just meadering all over the lacks and hurts of this past year. It is hard not to. but I really just wanted to let you all know we are still alive. To Encourage you as well as myself to pick up and start doing things again. Our lives have changed, yep, and there is no way to go back to pre-covid life. I do appreciate the lack of flu that resulted from people being careful to wash their hands and keep their distance, and stay home when they were sick. Be careful. Keep washing your hands. Be courteous, kind, and forgiving. Don't lose hope. Humans are a resiliant bunch. We have lived through worse!
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| This Sand Hill Crane hung out at Frankfort High School |
I can't wait for concerts to start happening at Interlochen again. The silence there last summer bout did me in. Since its beginning, Interlochen had not silenced the music or stilled the dance. They are working hard to keep their students and staff safe.
I can't wait to go to the library. Seeing a movie in a theater will be nice too. Eating out, being seated in a restaurant. I will be cautious and keep wearing mask and all, and not just because I am required to due to my work but out of respect and care for others.
My 40th class reunion was supposed to be last year. We are hoping to gather this year... we'll see. Some of my classmates were affected closely by Covid. It has not been easy on anyone. We are a pretty close class and I am grateful for them.
I want very much to make my way to Arkansas, where my momma grew up, so I can see for myself her hometown and places she talked about, and make to to the diamond fields that I had promised to visit with my great aunt Mary, who I never got to meet. So, I have dreams and wishes, goals and plans. Honestly, there were tons of times I just wanted to bury my head and sleep away the scary parts. But that isn't living.
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| Things aren't always easy. But you should keep moving forward. Who knows what you will find? |
