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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.
January 20, 2022
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
This week I had an email disagreement with my boss over the safety issues involved in reopening my work-place to the publc. Because he (my boss) is an administrator and not working on-the-ground with patrons and I am, I thought it was important to express my concerns about things in the past (when we were open during our county's red tier) that made me afraid of being in the building: non-complaince of mask-wearing by patrons and employees, and eating/food (since folks have to take off their masks to eat and aerosol seems to be the main form of covid transmission). These are things I see, and my immediate coworkers, but that my boss does not see because he is not part of the daily working of the library. Honestly, my email was kind of blunt because I can't believe I am having to make these points now that we are almost a year into the pandemic. My boss was ticked off in his response - he told me all protocols would be followed just as they had been (which of course, they weren't) and that because I am not a frontline employee, I can just stay home and come in after hours for work needs, AND, that because I have been vaccinated I shouldn't be worrying so much. I like my boss but every now and then, when I bring something like this to his attention, he gets kind of angry at me. Makes me feel like an unneeded part of the organization. I know we will get through this latest disagreement but I think that the way it will dissipate is by me not bringing it up again, or pressing my point.
February 28, 2021