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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Two years into the pandemic and two years of mask wearing and yet, I still maintain my decades old habit of putting on lipstick or at least some gloss before leaving the house. Silly, right? I think some women are lipstick women and some women are mascara women and it is just hard to change such a firm habit or belief about what helps you put your best foot or face forward. Years ago a good friend told me she never leaves the house without putting on mascara, even if it is just to go to the gym or grocery store. For me, eye makeup is for a special occasion — when I get all dressed up, perhaps for a wedding or party … (which is certainly not happening often these days). But I always put something with a bit of moisturizer and s little bit of shine on my lips. Otherwise, my lips feel so chapped and I feel that I look so pale. So even though no one can see my mouth or smile, I continue to wear lipgloss. It is a bit of normality during otherwise strange and difficult times. However, I think my friend with her loyalty to mascara comes out ahead during these pandemic days… we’ve been told to “smile with our eyes.” On the other hand, I think, I hope, that with the decline of the omicron variant, and warmer spring weather in the next few months, perhaps we will be able to shed our masks. When that happens, I will splurge and buy new lip sticks!
February 6, 2022
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Think about the people closest to you. Tell us about how the coronavirus has affected them, and their life.
My parents live four hours away from me and my mum has to take care of my dad whose health is deteriorating quicker than I could have ever imagined. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the start of the pandemic and two other diagnoses joined a couple of weeks ago. My mum is entirely alone with this situation and has to plan out each day and think for two. And while she is one of the strongest women I know, she's been struggling a lot. Anger, guilt, regret, no love, responsibility. We're on the phone every day which might be a lot but it keeps us both sane. And since they are both fully vaccinated already, they'll come up to Berlin next week to visit me. Since September last year, I haven't seen them, and being apart from each other for the first time on Christmas was a huge downer. Hurray for digitalization, so we could have a virtual Christmas dinner. I remember that we had a huge fight before because I refused to visit and didn't allow them to come up. My mum cried so much that she hung up the phone. But I had to be strict. For the first time, I felt the responsibility to be the strong one. Reversed roles, a huge test. But I am happy I stood my ground. So many people got infected because they couldn't stay away from each other during Christmas..... it was the height of the second wave after all. But things are looking up and my parents come to visit next week, as I said. It'll be a huge relief to see each other again while at the same time I am anxious about seeing my father again. He aged so much during the past year.... and I felt so useless, not being able to help.... while at the same time I was relieved I couldn't help. Is this normal? My mum's a hero. She's doing everything to keep my dad out of a retirement home, out of the hospital, out of harm's way. Whenever I feel down, her attitude, her way of coping with things, gives me strength.
June 15, 2021