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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Around March 15, Brooklyn and New York City went into PAUSE - meaning we were told to stay home and quarantine - (those of us who could afford to.) My partner has prostate cancer and a compromised immune system, so I'm a caregiver and have to be very careful of any interactions I have outside our home, for fear of bringing the virus home to him, and for fear that I might carry it in an asymptomatic way. In order to keep myself calm, and to prevent myself shutting down emotionally, I began to do a sketch in my sketchbook as frequently as possible to record and remember what these days are like. It helped me slow down my own racing thoughts -- and to focus on at least one thing that day that I noticed. I found lots of beauty in the simple things. And gratitude for things I wouldn't have noticed during "normal times." At first, time seemed to stretch out slowly as we were quarantining. When I was kid, I used to to draw to calm myself down from stormy family situations. Now I'm 63, and sketching still brings enjoyment and meaning, and helps me to relax and slow down. These are like sketch meditations. The first sketch is of D. sitting outside in the back garden. We tried to get out back whenever the days were warmer, because we were protected from outsiders there. This is dated March 15, 2020. This is one of my fast pencil sketches. The second sketch is dated March 24, 2020. My son and his girlfriend live upstairs. She is 31 and undergoing post breast cancer treatments so they quarantine deeply. They don't go to the laundromat, so I do their laundry. My dryer was broken at the time, so I had to drape their wet laundry all over the dining room.Every article of clothing seemed a bit stressed and restless, so I tried to capture that -- in this sketch.
January 5, 2021
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Are you in touch with family or friends in other parts of the country, or other parts of the world? If so, talk about how the pandemic has been affecting them.
We are in touch with family and friends throughout the country. Our grandson who moved to Seattle limits himself to his small pod of friends rather than exploring this new area. Our grandson in Denver is able to enjoy hiking or skiing, but he limits his exposure to others. Happily he has made some friends from work. Our friend in Texas has just received the vaccine. As a person who lives alone, she has learned during pandemic self-isolation that she wants to move from her home to a senior community for more opportunity for social interaction. She has been unable to explore options due to COVID restrictions. Our friends in Georgia feel excited by a drive-thru trip to Starbucks. Our grandchildren in Virginia have not been in school since March; they've added a pandemic puppy to their lives. Our friends with a second home on Block Island have been limiting their visits due to COVID restrictions and frightening infection rates. The list can go on, but the theme remains the same. Friends and family have stepped back from all that was 'normal' in order to protect themselves and others. Life has been put on hold. We're somewhat like the movie Groundhog Day - each day is the same as the one before and will continue to be the same tomorrow. Acute became chronic, and chronic is not fun. Vaccines offer hope, and hope is what we need.
January 12, 2021