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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.

So, I had one of those "BIG" birthdays this past week, one of the milestone ones that end in a "0." Nearly two years ago when we were just beginning to understand what "social distancing" would require of us, I told my family "...well, in two years when I have my 60th... we will have a huge party and make up for all of this isolation..." Never would I have thought that we would not be able to celebrate in a "normal" way now. Before we heard of Omicron or knew how this newest variant would once again turn our lives upside down, we started planning two celebrations: one with my extended family several hours from here, and another -- a birthday lunch -- with my girlfriends here in town. We're all triple vaxxed and leading cautious lives, but I couldn't see holding an inside event with my dad (88) and mother in law (96) and other older relatives as well as young people who work outside the home, and my friends here were also dubious about meeting and eating inside, so we decided it just made sense to postpone. Initially, I thought maybe if we all did rapid at home tests first, we could go ahead, but more and more the limits of those tests are becoming apparent (too many false negatives). So, we've rescheduled both parties for March. And if that is not possible, we'll do it next January! I mean who says you can't celebrate big birthdays in "off" years. This state of pandemic cautiousness can't last forever. Despite the need to cancel the planned events, I had an absolutely lovely birthday and that is is most important thing. I felt enveloped in love and friendship. People called, texted, sent cards and flowers. In the morning, several friends and I took a long walk along the river. We joked about how covid had taught us gratitude --- I was grateful that my birthday was the warmest day in a stretch of 10 very cold days...where it would have been uncomfortable to walk for so long. And my husband and I even found a restaurant with a very well heated patio for a delicious dinner. All in all, it was a wonderful birthday.