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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
I won't lie - it felt weird walking through the doors of the Getty Museum today in Los Angeles. Perhaps what made it so strange was that it felt in some ways like I had just been there. The last time I had ridden the tram or admired the artwork was February 15, 2020. Just mere weeks before the end of the normal world as we knew it. Yet here I was today with my family. It was interesting to hear their perspectives on the California lifestyle. Most of them live in Texas where they can roam free while the other half live in Seattle. I loved how they talked about how intolerable the mask rules were here - as if I hadn't mentioned it countless times on the phone with them or if I saw them in person. I guess it's one thing to tell someone and another to experience it firsthand. I am curious to see what California looks like in three days when the mask mandate supposedly ends. For some reason I remain doubtful that things will change - i.e. that I'll see more maskless people. I keep waiting for the governor to step in and go "um, nevermind, I'm not lifting the mandate even if I'm being recalled." In many ways, the Getty was exactly the way I remembered it - the vastness of it, the gardens, the artwork. Today, I loved the Vincent Van Gogh "Irises" painting - full of life - vibrant. Something I hope to experience in the future - full of life. In some ways, I have lived like dormant flowers - waiting for the spring to arrive so I can burst into color.
June 15, 2021
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Talk about any major life events, milestones, or other important things in life that have been disrupted by the pandemic.
Last year's Thanksgiving Dinner at church was cancelled, or course! It was one of the highlights of my year. I don't think that we will be able to have it this year, either. Take-out boxes are a poor stand-in for the camaraderie that we experienced. The family reunion was cancelled, as well. We are trying to organize one via Zoom, hoping that August might allow a gathering. The vaccine rollout seems hampered, and I wonder if that will even come to pass. So many people are missing the traditional milestone gatherings; baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, proms, graduations, and funerals, we must find other ways of gathering. Sporting events, homecomings, the list goes on. Much of the fabric of our community lives has been ripped away!
January 17, 2021