When 2019 was ending, I was feeling such joy and excitement for 2020. I don’t think I’ve experienced such enthusiasm for starting a new year before. The next time a year ends, and I feel all those giddy feelings creeping in, please feel free to slap some sense into me (gently of course, and that’s if we’re no longer physically distancing from one another).
2020 has been a turbulent one that’s for sure and life, as we knew it only a short time ago, has been (momentarily) interrupted.
It’s difficult to say how I’m feeling these days because I can feel different things at any moment within a few minutes. All the feels are happening!
I feel sadness for the people who are all affected, which is all of us. I feel sadness for the world.
I’m scared and worried for my family and friends, and everyone they know, and I worry that our government leaders (uh um, the man in charge at the White House), aren’t going to help take care of us and our healthcare system, and is only looking after his interests. When he said, he wanted the country to open by Easter, it was the first and only time I ever thought, “That’s the first and only time I wish he was right!” No, I don’t believe he’s right. It’s one of the worst ideas ever.
I get angry at the people who were still gathering together at the beach, and trails (I sure do miss the trails but they’re closed now), hanging out with friends, and not staying 6 feet apart and not taking this seriously! I get angry because I’m not staying home so they can go about their days, and increase this virus spreading, because that delays the rest of us from returning to work and the office, hanging out at coffee shops, and going to the movies, and concerts, and getting hugs, and getting back to life and healing from this.
And then I wonder, what is all that worry and anger gonna do for me? I can only control what I can control, and right now my faith is being highly tested.
Every day the news seems to get even more disheartening and I’ve reached the point where I can only get updates once or twice a day. I want to remain informed and yet, my spirit can only handle so much.
But then I see goodness happening in the world and people helping others. Before I’d only see snippets of that happening here and there, but now it’s more prevalent, and I believe that’s how we get through this – by helping each other and doing our part.
While I haven’t posted much on social media, I do enjoy seeing all the funny memes, videos, and different ways people are entertaining themselves and others to help ease the stress as we maneuver through these dark times.
My wish is that I emerge out of my home one day and several people will look at me in shock and say, “Oh my God were you still quarantining?? This thing has been over for like 6 weeks now!” And I’m like, “What? Are you serious?!” And they’re like, “Oh yeah.”
Yes, that’d be wonderful, and then we’d go for a run on a heavily populated trail and afterward hang out at the coffee shop.
Thank you for reading!
Stay safe stay home (as much as possible), and wash your hands! Seriously. Right now after you finish reading this, go wash your hands.
By the way, March 17th marked the 9th anniversary of this blog and with everything going on, I didn’t feel like celebrating it. If you’d like to read the first entry please be my guest, and you can bet I wore those same socks this year.
OK, now go wash your hands.