A Healthy, at Least as of Today, 73 Year Old’s take on the Pandemic
Walking/running for the daily hour with my four-legged nephew, Puga, whom I take care of at times for my two-legged nephew, I was looking back at this, for so many people, very different year.
I must admit it was not that different for me. As a ‘retired’ person whose third career is editing novels written throughout a lifetime and writing new ones, I really didn’t change my place of work. It is my house. Since I was already adjusting in a bumpy way to a budget that was half of what had been my income, I did not have to go through the sudden financial losses that so many have experienced. That had come two years before.
Since I have been a crazy health, food, and exercise ‘nut’ after experiencing all the derogation that went with being an essentially obese girl in the 1950’s, I was not someone who missed going for a pizza, a hamburger or a drink. I have basically cooked for myself during my whole adult life and only gone out to restaurants occasionally, usually not more than once a month, except when I went skiing.
Now, there is something I do miss. I had to stop going to fancy or homey hotels when my budget was cut in two, but I was looking for ways to still enjoy my favorite sport by frequenting stations with special skiing pass discounts for seniors and trying to find reasonable lodging, perhaps some bed and breakfast, or a small studio, but Covid 19 brought that to a halt. Fortunately, thanks to my ‘brother of choice’, I went to a great skiing locale before Christmas. The people were wonderful, the views exalting. However, the special rules for skiing in Covid conditions made it impossible for me to justify the necessary expenditures for a pass and rented equipment.
In some strange ways the pandemic has made people more caring. When I run or accompany Puga, more people are saying hello, even talking. In a way there is a greater sense of community, the type of human interaction — even with a six-foot distance — that I used to see on the street as a child or when I visited my parents from various locations in the world.
The initial empty shelves in supermarkets have been half or three quarters filled by now. For once, the people in this country faced what so many have coped with on our planet at different times. Having lived in Switzerland in the seventies, I never went through our initial panic, as at that time the Swiss authorities insisted that everyone at have two weeks of supplies in their apartments or houses. It may not have touched many of my fellow United Nations colleagues, but I for two years rented a small apartment in a house where the Swiss owner lived and so learned local ways.
I have even benefitted from this pandemic. I used to go to local meetings but rarely attended meetings of my undergraduate or graduate alma maters. Now, there are so many interesting ones online that I must pick and choose which ones I will either listen to or take part in. I hope that this is somehow adapted to a more ‘normal’ situation, as this type of participation can benefit both alumni and their educational institutions.
What has your experience been like?
