Tag: Covid

May you live in interesting times – A Chinese Proverb

2021 has been a weird year. But at least it was a year, unlike 2020 which just wasn’t. Even the start of the year was weird – a new President had been elected – or had he? There were those who believed that there was massive voter fraud – of course there wasn’t. Then on January 6th – insurrection at the Capitol! It was surreal watching thugs charge in, the Congress whisked out and no one making any real effort to stop it. The destruction and terror was real and it was simply hard to believe it was happening in the USA. Through some miracle it settled down and we were able to inaugurate a new President. The issue is that there are a lot of people at opposite ends of the political spectrum. The division in the country was and is palpable. What’s happened to civil discourse and compromise? 2021 was certainly not the year for that.

Then there’s the elephant in the room – COVID. Early in 2021, we thought we had it under control. A vaccine was available, people were getting it and the numbers were going down. We started seeing people again, we went out to lunch and dinner. I was back at the office full time. Then, Delta struck. Now of course we are in the throws of Omicron. God only knows what’s next! Again, COVID seems to be fueling the division in the country. There are the anti-vaxers, the anti- maskers and the people who believe it is all a conspiracy. Not to be too nasty, but the up side to that is that all those folks are dying quicker than those of us who are vaccinated. Unfortunately, I think we just have to learn to live with Covid. I will not spend the rest of my life with out seeing family and friends. Without travelling. Without doing the things I really want too. I WILL however be wearing a mask and getting boosters.

My personal year was weird too. Heck, I did last New Year’s Eve with friends via Zoom. I was one of a handful of people “in the office” at the start of the year, but by July most people were back in the office, at least part time . Once I was fully vaccinated, I did decide that I was no longer isolating myself. I started to see people, go over to friends houses, have lunch and dinner out and go to the movies. I remember the first time I heard live music I almost cried. Sometimes, a good pandemic can remind you of the things that are really important in your life.

I also became a part of “The Great Resignation”. I just got tired of dealing with all the stress of work and retired. Life is short and I wanted to devote the rest of mine to having fun! So far its working out pretty well. I’m getting in shape, organizing my house, playing piano, reading more, seeing old friends more and meeting new people. I am also getting very well versed in binge watching streamed channels. (If you haven’t seen Ted Lasso or The Beatles: Get Back you really need to) I’m also putting together a whole list to all the things I’ve ever wanted to do. It’s really long, but I can hardly wait to start working through it.

Happy New Year to All – here’s to a better 2022!