Unpredictable joy

How are you handling this COVID-19 surge? I have such a sense of dread about the next couple of months, fearing they will be harder than I've experienced to date with this pandemic, fearing, too, that my energy and fortitude for all this time at home is depleting. Time to recharge! Bring in the reinforcements  for the long winter ahead! I am taking care to have a book waiting for me when I finish another, I continue to build our list of movies and television series worth watching, I piddle about with small home projects. I have been doing some letter-writing, continuing my daily journaling, and continue to sketch out and develop some larger creative ideas. I hope I am ready. I must be ready, because, here it is - this is the reality for now. 

I know I am fortunate that this is the extent of my trial with this dreaded disease so far. 

To date, no one in my immediate family has gotten the coronavirus. We were on pins and needles over Thanksgiving - one son, the teacher (teaching virtually these days), received word that one of his colleagues tested positive for COVID-19 just a few days after my son and this colleague had been in the school together. 

Another son works retail...and reported that the crowds really picked up in his store this week of Thanksgiving....

Obviously, with possible COVID, it was no time for Thanksgiving as usual. We didn't think it wise to have even our immediate family together. Funny, I really wasn't sad to not be with my married son or the grandkids - I knew they had a party, in and of themselves. I found myself fretting about my two single sons being home alone on this holiday - an anxious, spiraling level of fretting that is becoming all too familiar during this long year of pandemic. I read these articles about people getting together with family and friends because they just couldn't take the separation and isolation any longer, and then everyone gets sick, and I think as I read these things - oh how careless you were! why did you do that? Go a little longer without seeing each other! Yet, here I was, making the same choice: I really wanted to see my 'loners.' I know this pandemic is hardest on them. What to do? How to handle safely?

We made the decision to have Thanksgiving in the backyard, just four of us - Tony and I and the two singles. We were graced with glorious weather that didn't even require a fire pit for warmth until the sun went down. The meal was scaled back considerably and served casually. We sat distanced from one another and wore masks when we weren't eating. All of us agreed that being outside in the open air greatly reduced our anxiety. We had lots of laughs together, and good conversation. Just the four of us together....it was weird and wonderful. 

I think this was the funniest part - Tony turned the television towards the backyard so that the boys could watch their football game! COVID memories. Things you never imagined doing.

My son, the teacher - he had a COVID test the day before Thanksgiving, and there is such a backlog in this area, he has still not heard yet - almost one week later.  This does not bode well for reducing COVID in general, if we have these type backlogs. Thankfully, he has been isolated at home - with the exception of our backyard Thanksgiving. 

Crazy times.

Let me close with a real laugh, though just a small one:

I made a routine, boring, ubiquitous on-line order for a toiletry. I am not sure what made me even open up the email response - these responses are so commonplace too, I often 'mark them as read' without actually reading, and save them in case there is some hiccup in my ordering. However, this time I opened the email, only to read: 

"Everyone is cheering at your purchase! Kalina is doing laps around the cooler and Eddie from marketing just passed out from excitement. Thank you for your order, the office is going wild!!"

Isn't this so funny!? These folks were swooning over a nothing purchase. Delightful, really - my chuckle for the day. Such an unexpectedly fun and silly response. 

Or am I easily amused?

What kind of unpredictable love and laughter can I share today? Oh, my, the world needs it.