Pandemic 2020 Update

Monday, July 6, 2020, 4:00pm

Hello, friends . . .

It seems odd to say that the world is a distinctly different place from what it was the last time I wrote. That was March 11, 2020, and ironically I wrote about having difficulty staying focused. Ironic because that has turned into the theme of the last four months with the chaotic craziness that the first half of this year has become.

Friday, March 13th was the last day of school prior to the start of spring break. We had a lengthy faculty meeting at the close of the day to say that we need to be ready for what may happen as a result of the ever-changing Covid-19 situation. Once I arrived home that same day and logged onto my iPad, I found an email from my Principal saying that our one-week spring break was to include an additional week off school due to the burgeoning situation. Cool! Two weeks off. No argument there. The break felt welcome. Before the end of that second week, our Governor announced that schools would remain closed until April, which of course, was extended to  May, and ultimately schools were closed for the remainder of this academic year. Unprecedented.

My colleagues and I learned a whole new way of doing our jobs. By default, we all became online teachers. It wasn't horrible, especially compared with other results of society's insanity. Grocery shopping became almost barbaric. Toilet paper became the most precious and hard-to-find commodity, along with masks, and all types of cleaning and medical supplies. I still haven't seen isopropyl alcohol in any store.

The one benefit for me from the work-from-home scenario was the freedom to spend the last thirteen days of my mother's life sitting by her bedside. If you recall from the last post, my parents' ACLF had to prohibit non-essential visits, which meant I could no longer physically go to see them; we could only visit via Skype. During the brief times Mom was awake in those last couple of weeks, we talked a little. I told her we would look after Dad. And I provided my dad with breaks, allowing him to walk downstairs to have a modicum of human interaction. I was there when Mom died. Dad and I held each other and sobbed. We each made calls to family and friends to share the news. And for the following week, I was able to be there daily to help Dad with everything that needed done. He sorted and folded Mom's clothes with the care of a heartbroken, devoted husband, and I took them to Goodwill. We negotiated the legwork necessary to get death certificates, and contacted the entities that needed to know that my mother had moved to Heaven. She died on a Tuesday, and by Wednesday of the next week, the revocation of my restrictions was rescinded. I was politely told I could no longer come in to see my dad. I was thankful for the three weeks' reprieve I had been given to say goodbye, to comfort my dad, and help him acclimate to his new life without his bride of nearly 64 years. Since then, we have been relying on Skype and texts to keep in touch, until last week on July 1st.

My dad moved into a brand new independent living facility built on the same campus as their ACLF, where there are currently no restrictions on residents and visitors other than wearing masks coming and going and in common areas. So I'm back to  being able to spend time with him. He's doing well, all things considered. He misses my mom terribly, but he's is still living (physically and emotionally) and putting one foot in front of the other every day.

One significant drawback to this time of forced sequestering, has been a virtually complete backsliding from the way I had been eating. Beginning in November of 2017, I began following Bright Line Eating, and as a result, lost 72 pounds. The past year, however, has included a lot of yo-yoing with increasing times of eating off plan, and some of the pounds coming back on. In fact, as of this morning, when I forced myself to step onto the scale to survey the damage, I had gained back 24.4 pounds. From 245# to 173# back to 197.4#. I consider it a blessing that I didn't gain all the weight back, and that it is still south of 200. So today, I went back online and logged into my Boot Camp materials (more on that another time), and "rezoomed!" That's BLE vernacular for climbing back up onto the wagon and beginning again, though thankfully, not beginning from scratch. I've done this long enough to know what and how to do the work. This time, the battle is mostly in the mind and heart, having allowed the hard-earned discipline I had developed to evaporate. I have to work to regain that. The positive is that I know from experience that this works for me. Regardless that I'm going to be 61 in 10 days and that I'm post-menopausal, this works! So, by the grace of God, and with a deeper sense of humility this time around, I have had a successfully bright day so far. And since I can only do this one day at a time (ODAAT), I need only concern myself with today.

So, there we are. Back in the present. A little bruised and battered by life, but still here nonetheless. I hope you are well and safe and happy. Ultimately for us all, we must choose to be so.

Until next time . . .