I don’t know about you but I’m still waiting for this to feel like a fresh start instead of more of the same.
My family has a memorial event to plan and a wedding coming up this summer. Will we be able to travel and safely gather together? I’m thinking of other families who lost loved ones during the past two years, especially those who were unable to be together due to COVID.
I should warn you. I feel a rant coming on. Yes, I believe “COVID Fatigue” is a thing. It is relentless and impacts everything we do or plan to do. It’s one thing to know that we are all in this together, wearing our masks, fogging up our glasses, sanitizing our hands, and respectfully keeping safe distances from each other on those short trips to the store. It’s another when we encounter those folks who openly display their disdain for mask mandates (and rules in general) by wearing theirs over their chins or not at all. I’m not sure if they think they’re invincible, they enjoy life under the heel of the pandemic, or they’re just plain jerks but they put us all at risk, especially the workers who are out there every day, keeping this big wheel of life turning.
I’m not usually one to make new year resolutions but I can tell you that given a choice between a restaurant or event venue that requires proof of vaccination to enter and one that does not, I’ll support the one that does.
Maybe I should begin the new year by doubling up on toilet paper (just in case) and sourcing some N-95 masks since I’m hearing that the cloth masks I’ve been diligently washing and wearing aren’t good enough anymore.
Okay, rant over.
On the plus side, I’m grateful for the rain we’ve had, the greening of the hillsides and fields and the still-leafless trees that reveal the wonder of birds’ nests. I’ll be looking for the “happy” in the new year outside in the palette of nature. For optimism, I’ll look to the birds.
Stay safe and well. Here we go again.
Brenda Bellinger 