A friend wrote a Facebook post recently. She’s a nurse and had just received the COVID vaccine. She is excited and looking forward to the light at then end of this pandemic tunnel. She talked about all the things she misses that she’s looking forward too. Things like traveling, seeing her parents, going to see live music, going to the movies and so on. As I read her post, I got goosebumps. I hadn’t realized until I read her list of things she missed, how much I miss those things too.
I’ve been going about my life just trying to take care of myself and my family. I do the day to day life of virtual school with the kids, random Zoom calls with friends and quarantine parties with D Nice. All of these things have become my new normal. I hadn’t really taken the time to think about what I missed. Now that I’ve read my friends post, I can’t help but to think of those things.
I’ve definitely missed my Daddy. It’s been years since I’ve gone this long without hugging him. I want to see my Grandma. She’s creeping up in her 80s and I just need to snuggle her. I really miss going to restaurants. My family and I did our fair amount of restaurant outings pre pandemic. It was so casual, so easy. We’d be coming from somewhere, look at the time, and just grab dinner out somewhere. Worry free. I miss my kids going to school and hanging out with friends. I miss hanging out with the kids and other parents at the park after school.
There’s the small things like going to the library and spending hours there with the kids and friends. I’ve missed the date nights with my husband that we were just starting to get back too. My whole family is really missing traveling. My 8 year old daughter leaves post-its around the house requesting a vacation. I get it baby girl, we all need a break from staring at the inside of this house.
Some days I worry that I’m too OK with all of this seclusion. I feel like I might not be bothered by it enough. Growing up as an only child, I was used to solitude to a certain extent. Also as a bit of an introvert, I’m OK with not being incredibly social. Still this has been a bit much.
It’s not too much to say I crave the day when I can peel away this extra layer of stress that comes with living through this coronavirus pandemic. The masks, the avoidance of people. The stress when someone in my family is a little under the weather. The anxiety when someone needs to go to the doctor.
The only person we see unmasked is my mother. She lives alone and only sees us outside of occasional doctor appointments or errands. I know that the five of us are responsible for each other. We have to make choices that minimize risk, not only for ourselves, but for the whole of us. It’s the group project we’re trying to pass as a family that we haven’t been doing so great with as a country. We are all responsible for the health and well being of each other. Not enough of us get that.
On the upside of it all, people are really rallying behind vaccines in a way they weren’t before. I think a lot of the hesitancy wore down because people are tired. I am feeling more hopeful these days than I have in months past. How about you? How are you faring these days?
