The struggle is real. My whole body aches with longing to get out of this pandemic prison I’m locked in…Who am I kidding? – it’s a blast!
So, the coronavirus continues to spread and devastate everywhere. Wear a mask, don’t wear a mask, stay three feet away – no, stay six feet away! Don’t socialize or, if you do, be responsible. Think of others, don’t be selfish – this and even more advice is given, but many people are ignoring it.
Why then are they resisting – nay, rebelling – against sensible requests? “Freedom!” they cry. But they’re no Sir William Wallace, who fought for freedom, not for himself, but for the Scottish people and for the generations that would follow – unlike the oiks now who don’t seem to give future generations any thought, for if we don’t get this virus under control, future generations will have a very, very different way of life to ours.
And gone will be the carefree travel that I’ve enjoyed throughout my life – travelling to the far corners of our world with no restrictions to quarantine – or worse: not even being allowed to enter certain countries. There have been other limiting diseases, but nothing to compare with the full-on debacle the USA is currently in.
My life has changed in a few ways I didn’t expect. I’m no longer working, although my job is still there for my return. But I’m “excused” until the virus becomes less “community-spread” and/ or a vaccine is available (probably not before 2022, if the people who are informing us are honest, and even then it’ll probably only be 70% effective). I’ve worked since I was 15, so not having any sort of employment is really discombobulating. But I’m “working” on it.
I’ve had many times alone since my divorce 25 years ago – on my own either due to ill health or because I wanted it – so, for the most part, I’m very at ease in my own company. But not having a choice is bad. My friends are all either about the same age as me or have some dreaded “underlying condition,” or both, so socializing is not an option. So for now it’s FaceTime, phone calls, and messages, or maybe “car visits” staying two cars apart talking through open windows while wearing masks.
On the plus side, my house and everything in it have never been so clean and tidy. My cats, who I’ve only had just under a year, are as happy as can be having their mother with them all day to feed and pet them and change their litter tray frequently. It’s heaven for them!
I’ve watched Hamilton six times and all the Marvel movies – twice! I’ve read so many books that I’ve lost count of exactly how many. I’ve even read the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and I can honestly say: the Constitution is overdue a modern rewrite. I think this is a source of much of the confusion today in what we might call politics USA style.
What I’m struggling with is I’m becoming unfit. Even though I’m eating less than before, I’m gaining weight. I can’t tell you how much I’ve gained, thanks to elastic waistbands and very stretchy materials and no weighing scales, but I know I’ve gained. I’m sluggish and permanently tired, but I have no energy to “exercise,” which is really only just walking. Also, it has been so hot and humid, it’s just plain unpleasant to stand outside, let alone go walking for miles! I’m excited today, though, because yesterday the temperature and humidity had dropped significantly, and I was able to go to the local park, where I did a 2-mile walk, which I intend to repeat every other day until September 1st. Why September 1st? Well, it’s my follow-up doctor consult, which three months ago didn’t go so well, and I’m determined to shift some weight, lower my blood pressure, and improve my blood work.
See – there’s always something to aim for. Being in isolation is a blast for sure!
| Copyright © 2020 by Penelope Griffiths |
Roger, I recognize a fellow club member! In fact, it was Penny’s texting us how bored she was, and me texting back to her how unbored I was and listing about ten things I am enjoying doing, and her joking (I thought) that I would do well in prison...that led to my suggesting she write a column about pandemic boredom – how it’s like being in prison. Voilà!
ReplyDeleteRoger, what you say about the “joke going around that you realize how anti-social you already are when there's a lockdown and nothing much changes for you” has kept hanging on with me. I hadn’t ever thought of it in terms of my being revealed as anti-social. But I have been struck by how far old retired people with adequate means (pensions, savings, social security payments) are from the stream of commerce, where business people and their employees are hard-hit by the pandemic, on the front lines with daily anxieties and financial worries. But you still ARE a business person on the front line; maybe you really are anti-social! <grin>
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