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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
The public transportation system ... is reducing bus routes and will no longer let seniors ride their GoBus at the end of September. This is the transportation I use to get to dentist, doctor appointments and to grocery store. I have no car. The only people that will be allowed to ride GoBus are people who are certified disabled by the ... Area Transit System. As I have a mental health diagnosis of GAD and OCD, I am thinking about submitting my application for GoBus ridership. But am worried and mistrustful of the ... administration to keep this information confidential and give me a fair hearing. My only other option is the regular city buses which are a much higher risk for COVID exposure and I am in high vulnerability group due to my age and high blood pressure. While I have been able to do some food shopping locally within walking distance, I will not be able to access these food sources come winter ..like the farmers market, cheese shop and bakery. So now I have both a transportation problem and a food access problem.
July 29, 2020
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Have you or people in your community been harassed, threatened, or attacked since the pandemic began, either in person or online? If so, what happened?
Most of my friends are trans women, who are almost constantly being told the worst things about their identity. They still receive almost no respect, are slowly having protections eroded away, and have to see more news stories about trans woman, particularly trans women of color, being killed for being trans. One of my friends came out to her mother, because they temporarily live together because of the pandemic. The mother than blabbed this to literally everyone and she is receiving bad treatment from family. Another just entered a partnership with a long term friend of hers, and now the ex-husband is acting hostile toward her. They had always been at odds politically, so this was kinda gonna happen eventually. I look like a white cis woman, so no one attacks me, despite the fact I am non-binary. So I just watch these people slowly go through dysphoria and panic nearly every day because of life right now, and all I can do is support them and protect them from harm.
July 29, 2020
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Walking on a tightrope about a thousand foot gorge. That’s what it feels like. I am worried about what it’s going to look like when school starts. I am a teacher. Every single day there are different hints. Hints only. No one has come up with a real concrete plan. They’ll SAY they have shared plans. But really? 2 pages in an email is a plan for dealing with this? So today the TEA (State of Texas Education Authority) put out their “plan”. It is not a plan. It is a statement that schools will start in person. Parents can opt out. No accommodations for teachers unless they have verified disabilities. Masks are required, but not for kids under 10. I teach first grade. So, potentially, I have a full class of kids with no masks. TEA says they ordered masks. I did the math. They ordered enough for every student in the state for a 10 day supply. Hardly adequate. Everyone needs to be tested. Is that daily? Weekly? One time only? Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not adequate. And we are in the midst of a huge surge. 12,408 cases. 2,000 more since Thursday. Less than one week. In our county. That’s not even the state. 482 more cases TODAY. 151 deaths. 18 more since last Thursday. 89 on ventilators 73 new hospital admissions today Our 7 day moving average is 74.8 We have gone over the number of 70 for overwhelming our hospitals. This is very exhausting and upsetting. We are all tired of this. We all wish this wasn’t happening. But pretending it’s not happening actually doesn’t help.
July 29, 2020
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Has the pandemic affected your religious or spiritual observance in any way? If so, talk about it.
Impermanence.
July 29, 2020
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
One of my favorite cafes went out of bussiness. They temporarily made it a gallery - a few unemployed artists are “presenting” their works, pasteries, and self-made coffee, and selling them. It is part of extensive protests that take place in Israel in the past weeks. I bought an overpriced cookie. I am unemployed too, but I have enough money for cookies. I try not to fall for deppression. I registered for painting lessons. The pandemic made me think about what I did with my life. I have plenty of time, I need a dramatic change. How come this concern of pandemic was something I never imagined? I need to work on my imagination.
July 29, 2020
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
The last couple of weeks have been very exciting for me! I got my degree and a week later I got offered a band 5 NHS Podiatry job! I am both excited and nervous about this new chapter in my life. ... I am sad to leave Edinburgh as it has been my home for the last 4 years as a student, it is where I met so many great people and I feel as though it is now my second home. I just cannot believe 4 years are over! ... The picture I have uploaded is right on my doorstep, literally! ... Lots of people travel to go on holiday up here, which at the moment is a bit annoying. I know we are moving through the stages and it is technically allowed, it is still anxiety inducing however to suddenly see more people in this very rural area. I wish people were more aware and conscientious of the fact that these "holiday destinations" are peoples homes.
July 29, 2020
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
This week was the week of parties that didnt happen. I am glad they didnt for the safety of my family but it still put a damper on events that were to be joyous. The first event was our niece's high school graduation. It was already delayed and was supposed to be held at our Nana's instead of a party hall. But Nana is still recovering from Covid and has stage 3 kidney failure. Of course she welcomed the party at her home even though it would be a lot of work for her and expose her to 10 people who may or may not be observing the social distancing rules. We sent a lengthy and stern email to our sister in law explaining the danger to Nana. Other family members responded that they thought it would be safe since it was "only" 10 people. To our relief she cancelled the party. We feel bad that our niece wont be having a party but the health of our loved ones must come first. The next joyous event was our daughter's first birthday. We celebrated by going to our favorite lake and having time together as a family. One thing that the pandemic has sharpened for us is what truly matters and what we can do without.
July 29, 2020
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
The ocean is my calm place. I feel strong, yet at peace when I gaze at the waves. I’m so thankful that I was able to celebrate my birthday there in the midst of the fear and uncertainty of this time. So much has changed; so much has been lost. Yet the ocean remains constant in its cycles.
July 29, 2020
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Has the pandemic affected your political views in any way? If so, how?
I don't trust the government or anything being said. The news and government hide and lie about coronavirus numbers and how bad it is. I hear from people who are on the frontlines about how bad it is and I just pray that it goes away or is maintained enough.
July 29, 2020
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Environment: ● People use masks and gloves ● Stores allow small groups of people to enter and shop ● All essential workers work despite the fact that they could catch the virus ● Ghost towns ● Parks Closed Not Able to go to the gym, school restaurants public gatherings
July 29, 2020
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Everything is scary when you have COVID risk factors and are vulnerable. This week I decided not to go in-person to my annual physical, but to rather do that by video chat. It actually worked out well. But then the gas company knocked on my door unannounced and an unmasked technician wanted access to my house – my sanctuary – my safe place. I did not let him in. Then – my service light came on in my car – another sanctuary and safe place. I needed service and there was no alternative to that. So… I braced myself, used sheets to cover my front seats, and packed up my cleaning supplies. I stayed outside in the hot sun as my car was serviced, but even though I was in the far corner of a parking lot, it was hard to avoid unmasked people who had no regard for my safety. It was almost like they came near me for no reason and on purpose. It was enraging – but there was nothing I could do but to try to move farther away from them. When my car was done, I pulled out the cleaning supplies and cleaned off all the interior surfaces, aired out the car, and removed the sheets before driving home with the windows open. I feel like I did everything I could possibly have done – but it was unnerving and very stressful. It was a greater level of risk than I am used to so that was hard. I was exhausted when I got home – but changed my clothes and showered before I did anything else. Now that our disease numbers are good for the time being, I feel that I should take care of things to avoid problems when things get bad again. But in order to do that I have to leave my comfort zone… and that is really hard to do.
July 29, 2020
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Talk about what brings you happiness these days.
Spending time with family and friends is what brings me happiness these days. That, and time with my dog. Honestly, my dog has gotten me through. Her needs are simple, and she doesn't know there is a pandemic going on. Time with her keeps me grounded, and feeling somewhat normal.
July 29, 2020
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Talk about how the events of recent months have affected either your work or your ability to work.
In recent months one of my two jobs closed due to the COVID 19 pandemic and the other one remains open do to it being essential since it was a restaurant. Working at the restaurant was pretty easy at first since it was a limited menu and not a lot of people knew we reopened but that was a good thing since it got us back in the grove for when it started getting busier with everyone realizing restaurants were back opened. But for the school job, they are reopened now for the summer but I do plan to work there full time once the new school year starts.
July 29, 2020
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¿De que manera el coronavirus le está afectando su vida en este momento? Cuéntenos sus experiencias, sensaciones/emociones, y pensamientos.
Durante los últimos días he tenido un vaivén de emociones, el sentimiento de necesitar salir a respirar aires de los parques o las zonas forestales se hacen cada vez más fuertes, pero con la crisis sanitaria y las personas de mi ciudad descuidándose aún no puedo disfrutar esto. Esta semana mis amigos y yo nos hemos empezado a comunicar por videollamadas, ¡Es más divertido de lo que pensé!, no es lo mismo que estar juntos, comiendo y conviviendo, pero la situación que pasamos ha hecho que algunas plataformas innoven más y nos hagan sentir conectados, hemos probado a ver películas juntos de manera simultanea y es bastante lindo, es increíble cómo podemos sentir unión estando tan separados. Sin embargo, personas cercanas a mí han comenzado a preocuparse por pequeños síntomas de enfermedad que tienen, no necesariamente de la que actualmente nos afecta, pero hasta un simple resfriado nos hace sugestionarnos mucho y pedir por su bienestar. Solo nos queda esperar y seguir cuidándonos, por mi parte, trataré de siempre encontrarle cosas positivas a esta situación, ¡No puedo esperar a ver los frutos de las cosechas que por la pandemia mi papá se animó a sembrar!, un pequeño huerto familiar ahora le da la paz mental a mi papá que necesitaba por no poder salir. Ánimo, espero que todos se encuentren bien.
July 29, 2020
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Have people in your community supported one another during the pandemic? Talk about why or why not, and maybe give some examples.
Some people in our community are stepping up to help others and some are not. Our local church has done an amazing job to get meals to families when schools closed and they have continued to serve meals during the summer. Our neighbor collects bread from a local distributor to families in need. But my moms group, which is mostly upper middle class families, has done practically nothing. I will not be renewing my membership next year! I decided to take action in my own community and formed a neighborhood group on Facebook. We dont have a huge group but we still hold monthly events included a seed share and a canned food drive. I hope to grow the group and do more community projects including the creation of a little library. Through the group I have connected to a diverse community and felt less alone.
July 29, 2020
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
It has been a very challenging week. One of my colleagues committed suicide over the weekend, which was so completely unexpected. It has been really heartbreaking for our lab, and of course his family and friends. There is grief for both him, and also how he died. It is almost a double grief. It's hard to believe he's gone. He was such a wonderful person. He was quirky with a great sense of humor. And he contributed so, so much to his field of work. He had his hands in so many projects because of his expertise. But despite his merit, he was not intimidating at all. You could ask him any question, and he was happy to help or to teach. He had a lot of knowledge about a lot of things. I did not have the same role as him, but I still learned so much from him in the three years I knew him because he knew so much about anything and everything. I had the office next to him and I am dreading the next time I have to go in (we're working from home) because he won't be there (he came to campus each day) and he won't be coming back. It already feels very weird without him. And Covid is impacting our grief. We cannot get together, we can't give hugs or touches on the arm, there is no memorial service or funeral. It is just making things so much harder.
July 29, 2020
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¿De que manera el coronavirus le está afectando su vida en este momento? Cuéntenos sus experiencias, sensaciones/emociones, y pensamientos.
Demasiado silencio, demasiado estar en interior. Las horas se pierden, algunas pasan volando y otras se quedan estancadas... ¿sigue la humanidad ahí afuera? El diálogo interior no cesa y ya no sabe uno si es preferible estar casi solo o haber tenido una gran familia bulliciosa, la primera vez que salí de casa vi personas en la calle como si no pasara nada como si solo yo fuera la única dentro de una cuarentena interminable. Extraño pasear llevar mi cámara y fotografiar sólo por el placer de hacerlo, extraño salir el sábado y encontrarme el transporte público lleno de personas que no conozco y que hoy quisiera conocer. Ahora esa frase de "el interior es lo que cuenta" se vuelve primordial ¿sobrevivir o exponerse?... ¿cada 100 años la realidad cambia?... ¿que podemos hacer de forma individual más allá de las recomendaciones?
July 29, 2020
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Talk about what brings you happiness these days.
I'm usually an upbeat, happy person and feel lucky almost everyday to have a happy family, good friends, an interesting job, a nice house, a car that works, and to live where I do in the world. My optimism has certainly been tested since COVID began and like everyone else in the country, I've been experiencing a lot more downs than ups. I've tried to purposely spend time doing things that take my mind off all the crazy news and disordered state of our country and the world. One of these activities has been butterfly cocoon hatching. I had visited Magic Wings Butterfly Sanctuary in Deerfield Mass back in February, before the virus arrived here, and found out they sell native butterfly and beneficial insect cocoons for you to hatch and release at home. I started ordering them online in April and have hatched almost 20 this summer -- different varieties of Swallowtails, Luna moths, and Polyphemus moths. The photo I've uploaded is of one of the Spicebush Swallowtails -- after her wings had unfolded and pumped up, she crawled onto my hand and sat there for about 5 minutes before flying away. I garden with native plants and flowers in order to attract and support wildlife, jokingly referring to it as my "wildlife habitat" rather than my garden, but I was thrilled when she flew directly across my yard and landed on the Spicebush I had planted which, as her name implies, is one of the plants on which they lay eggs. Its been incredibly joyful to come down some mornings to find that another has hatched and I will soon get to release them into my garden. Its one of my happy projects! Of course not all of the cocoons are viable so that has been an important lesson too, that nature can be pretty cruel. About four of the moths and butterflies (out of the 20) seem unable to get out of their cocoons properly or their wings never fully open so they can't fly. I've read that for every viable cocoon there are several that aren't and will not hatch correctly -- Mother Nature's way of keeping down the butterfly and moth population I guess. I just wish she would apply the same logic to all the damn slugs who are munching on my garden plants every night! But my garden has been and remains one of my happy places and when it's not too hot I spend at least an hour or more after work each day in my garden -- watering, planting, weeding and deadheading. ...
July 29, 2020
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
This is the scene of utter luxury. It’s early dawn. I have the house—and the world—to myself. I’ve opened both screen doors to let in the sounds of birds and breezes before the sounds of people intrude. There’s an occasional streetcar sound—much fewer lately, because who really wants to get on public transportation in the middle of a pandemic. Few cars—many of us are still working from home, or simply staying put, because that is what is called for these days, four months into quarantine, going on five. Our gardens this year flourish with cucumber leaves measuring 10” across and down. They climb the deck’s trellis more than seven feet high, protecting tomatoes, zucchini and, of course, cucumbers, from the hot sun which will soon burn away the clouds. Once the sun emerges, I’ll have to close those sliding doors, and rely on a/c to keep the summer heat from making this room unbearably hot. For now, the doors remain open, blowing gentle breezes across the chair. See that book on the side table? It’s the first paper book I’ve read in a long time, as opposed to opening the kindle app on my iPad. When it drew me into its story, I felt the familiar comfort of losing myself in pages, where I meet interesting characters, and forget the news, the void, the universe. We built this room just last year, replacing a dilapidated deck with structure designed to be totally opened to feel the fresh air, and yet closed to — while still being close to — the elements when necessary, which is most of the time in New England. We used to access this space only a few weeks a year. Enclosed, it has become my favorite hideout—day and night, and especially really early morning. We built it as a room for company. In lockdown, it is a room for reflection, for conversation, for writing and simple breathing. A space to think. A place of my own, before the day begins.
July 29, 2020
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Talk about what brings you happiness these days.
Happiness.....happiness comes and goes with me. It doesn't stay. Too much sadness. Not just Covid-19 but the state of our democracy and racial inequality. But the question was what makes me happy. Here is a list. baking bread...even in summer baking cookies...even in summer Late Night TV like Jimmy Kimmel live A bottle of Cabriz Doc Dao red wine from Portugal with my husband A party night with my husband (JUST THE TWO OF US) BBQing Ordering groceries online for delivery Salmon coffee FaceTime with my grandchildren Mailing packages to friends and family My flowers that bloomed in front of my house. My Mini Cooper fresh cut flowers waking up every morning Covid free a nice shower popcorn comedy/jokes/comedians Singing quiet
July 29, 2020