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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
... what better way to describe this week than look at how the new bull is growing. His one year old and what a year it’s been. I’m wondering how I’ll feel when we get the all clear... I am so used to avoiding, to isolating, to being safe.... I see videos of old people getting blindsided and knocked down - a new wave of hate crimes. We like to travel. We’re not Asian, or Jewish, or any other targeted group, but we are older. I’m not sorry Trump and Rush are gone... both made bullying and name calling ok... more than ok... Acceptable? Expected? We tolerated it... How we can expect our young people (well, all of us) to seriously address bullying when we allow and even encourage it in adults, and from our so called leaders. Those men may be out of sight, but there’s others who are waiting to step up, especially in the name of “entertainment”. We’ll know we are serious about addressing bullying when it means facing danger because you and a large farm animal are in close proximity probably because you chose not to stand behind a fence in a farm yard, and not because you are making some pronouncements over the airwaves or on social media.
March 15, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
I'm tired. So tired. I don't know if I've had the time or the energy to process the fact that it's already been a year of this mess. I attended my first Zoom wedding yesterday, and two minutes after I logged on and I heard the music, saw my friends who were there on that screen, so far away, it hit me that we've lost so many of those moments this past year... I could not hold back the tears. It was a wedding we were supposed to attend in Mexico and that was postponed twice - in the end, they decided to have a small one instead with close family and local friends. It was going to be a reunion with our masters' friends from abroad. An occasion to go to Mexico to celebrate a milestone of a very dear friend, and meet her extended family. It just made me realize how much I have missed social interactions, particularly with friends, and the sheer loss of those special milestones. My husband's cousin missed her university graduation last year. All the birthdays in quarantine we had to celebrate without any friends or family.Although of course I was very moved by the celebration and happy for them (they looked so happy and in love!), it really pained me to miss it and to be left with live commenting on WhatsApp with our friends in common who were also supposed to attend, in my basement, all dressed up, while my husband was upstairs and taking care of the kids' bedtime. It wasn't supposed to be this way.
March 15, 2021
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Estamos viviendo con restricciones de movimiento y contacto social. Háblenos de cualquier restrición que le está impactado su diario vivir.
Antes de la Pandemia, era una persona que no le gustaba quedarse en casa. Siempre buscaba salir, caminar, quedar con amigos, ir al cine, teatro, conciertos. Definitivamente, mi vida ha cambiado. Estoy en casa con mi familia, afortunadamente estamos bien de salud, pero siento pasar el tiempo y yo no disfruto de nada. He perdido mi espacio personal, las cosas que más me gustaban hacer ahora son un riesgo o simplemente están prohibidas. No veo un futuro cercano alentador. Siento ansiedad por lo que vaya a pasar, miedo de que mis padres se infecten o yo contagiarle a ellos, por eso evito salir o interactuar con otras personas.
March 15, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
My husband called to ask me to bring his extra set of truck keys to where he was working. He'd locked his set in the truck. I was busily rewriting poems for my Zoom reading that is coming up, and I was very annoyed that he'd not paid better attention. Though I notice lately he is very forgetful or doesn't pay attention to many things. He is single focused, always has been. This is different. I realized on the drive to where he was working that even though he is working on a project for the homeless that is very important to him, he is stressed about the circumstances of the world we live in. His mother is in a home for people with Alzheimer's. We've seen her twice in the last year, from outside through a window. I guess it's comforting to realize she won't remember anyway, but also very hurtful. We have a new grandson that we have only seen 4 times since he was born in November of 2020. We aren't alone in these longings and missings but the full weight of it hit me as I drove to him with his. truck keys in pocket. The drive there was filled with a blue sky and white clouds in the distance that reminded me of the beauty in this world, in spite of all the anguish and despair. I stopped to photograph the magnificence of the world I was driving through. Someone, somewhere was standing or driving with awe at the spectacle I witnessed. Maybe they were even taking photos! By the time I arrived to where my husband was working, all I could be was grateful that he had locked his keys in that truck. I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to be salved by the beautiful things in the world and to throw away my annoyance. We stood there, hand in hand, and looked at the sky that was all around us as we whirled through it on this small blue dot, grateful together. Every day I walk and every day I am reminded. But some days are a bigger reminder than others. We receive our second shot for COVID yesterday and are busily planning a dinner here in our home with our daughters and their husbands, and of course our new grandson. We will eat outside and wear masks when we aren't eating, though four of us have received the vaccine. I see a change coming. I wait with hope and patience. Some days are easier.
March 15, 2021
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What has changed most about the world since the pandemic began?
There are so many people in the world who do not care enough about other people to do something as simple as wear a piece of cloth over their mouth. I don't think I can go back to seeing the world as not being divided between people who will make that small effort and people who won't. I don't think the the world has changed so much as my perception of it. Those people were always there, just better disguised. I didn't know there were so many. I wish I still didn't.
March 15, 2021
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Describe an experience this week that made you happy.
Some thing that made me happy this week was the icicles. I love the way the sun glistened through them. I love the whole idea of snow melting and changing from one form to another. How relatively quickly there’s a change in the structure of a flake on the roof, to a drop rolling down an icicle and freezing in a different location. The world is full of miracles too often overlooked because we are so busy. For me that has been the blessing of CoVid (if there is such a thing). I am noticing things that were at the periphery of my comings and goings of a “normal daily life”. Many of these things now take center stage, such the morning sun casting shadows and shining outside my window bring me joy in new ways.
March 15, 2021
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Many of us have experienced restrictions on movement and social contact during the pandemic. Talk about any restrictions that have especially affected you.
Today I thought about how none of our friends have been inside our house in over a year now. Incredible. Actually, R.L. came in for a short glimpse at Christmas-time, when we were doing the family Zoom call to make macrame ornaments. R. came to the door to drop off toffee, and I asked him to come in and check out our ornament making setup. But that's pretty much it. i found myself wondering today what do my friends' houses look like inside these days? Chaos? Order? the same? transformed by 24/7 living at home?
March 15, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
March 15, 2021
March 15, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
I’ve quite enjoyed the snow this season. Here’s my fairy snow queen. Covid has actually given me the opportunity to enjoy the snow as I never have before. There’s no where to go. No where I have to be. No one is coming over, so there is no rush to shovel. Fortunately the snow has been light enough that my husband can do the majority of the snow removal himself. He uses his leaf blower and gets such a kick out of it my shoveling would deny him the pleasure. It’s been a long time since I’ve played in the snow and it was quite rewarding to have these few minutes to reminisce about the joys of playing in the snow when I was a kid. I’m not sure I’ve ever really stopped to note the changing of the seasons as I have through the pandemic. I guess I’m grateful for that as I am aging and time is passing by too quickly.
March 15, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
This past weekend I got a surprise vaccine. My boyfriend had called a local Walgreens and they happened to have a lot of leftovers, so we went over there. Milling around also waiting for leftovers were people in a similar demographic as us – young (definitely under 40), probably WFH. Most of the group waiting were white people. I felt so conflicted the whole time - obviously we are not considered an eligible group, but ethically if the shots are going to waste, it's better to just use them anyway and increase vaccination. Some other people were chit chatting as they were waiting but I couldn't bring myself to; it somehow felt inappropriate in the face of the inequality of vaccine distribution, that we also happened to be benefiting from. I don't know. It was a Pfizer dose, first of two. The Walgreens wouldn't schedule a second dose, so in 3-6 weeks we'll have to play the same game of seeing what's available. Surprisingly, it was the most painless shot I've ever had. I didn't even feel it in my shoulder. My arm was pretty sore the day after - anything touching it made it sore - but now it's only if I raise my arm quite high, and it doesn't hurt, it's just there. I'm choosing not to tell my parents about getting surprised vaccinated because I'm afraid they'll be upset that I'm vaccinated before them / before I'm eligible.
March 15, 2021
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¿De que manera el coronavirus le está afectando su vida en este momento? Cuéntenos sus experiencias, sensaciones/emociones, y pensamientos.
Soy una persona que tiende a estresarse con facilidad, pero usualmente logro balancear esos pensamientos saliendo a caminar o con amigos. Gracias a la pandemia, esto no me ha sido posible. Hasta ayer me encontraba trabajando desde casa, pero el coronavirus golpeó fuertemente el rubro donde trabajaba, por lo que la empresa tuvo grandes pérdidas y un gran recorte de personal se estaba efectuando. Ya que no podían despedir a tantas personas sin justificar, se utilizaron tácticas de hostigamiento para agotar la paciencia de algunos empleados y motivar renuncias. Esta estrategia funcionó conmigo. Renuncié a mi trabajo ayer entre lágrimas porque ya no podía más. Me estaba enfermando físicamente por el nivel de estrés que tenía y mi salud mental estaba deplorable. Quería aguantar, de verdad quería continuar porque qué difícil quedarse desempleada en medio de una pandemia, más cuando las cosas no parecen mejorar. Gracias a Dios mi situación financiera me permitirá pasar el resto del año sin empleo y sobrevivir. Quiero tomarme un descanso porque todo esto me supera. Aún así tengo miedo de lo que depara el futuro... Si esto no mejora y yo sigo sin trabajo, ¿seré capaz de encontrar otro?, ¿Qué pasará cuando se acabe el dinero?, ¿Será que tomé la decisión correcta?, ¿Por qué no pude ser más fuerte? Todavía no me siento bien.
March 16, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
I just feel stuck. So stuck that I might grow roots. And I'm bored. I am so fucking bored. I can't concentrate on my thesis or work. And I know I'm so lucky to still have a job. But I hate it more for each day I'm there. But I also don't know what I would do without it. I am tired of hoping for things to get better. Europe is such a mess.
March 16, 2021
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How has the coronavirus pandemic affected how you feel about yourself, others, or the world?
I always knew I was a strong person, and I hope I never have to live through another pandemic again. There was so much turmoil and upheaval and negativity. There were positive things too, but honestly it was meager compared to the bad things. I have hope for the natural world, but I am deeply disappointed in people right now.
March 16, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
I got my first shot of the vaccine today! At the end of the day volunteering at the vaccine clinic today there were enough extra doses for all of the volunteers who hadn't gotten their first doses yet. It was so exciting, especially that all of us got to be vaccinated together. We've been volunteering together for several weeks now, and for many of us it's pretty much the only in-person interaction we have with people we don't live with. It's been great to get to know everyone as we've worked together every week, and volunteering has been fun and really rewarding. It was just a terrific end to a long but good day.
March 16, 2021
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We hear a lot these days about the economic impact of the pandemic. Has this been on your mind? If so, tell us what you're thinking.
Although I have not suffered financially due to unemployment benefits and savings, I worry for the folks who were already in poor financial shape and whether they can come back from this year.
March 17, 2021
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What has changed most about the world since the pandemic began?
I took this photo on 17 April 2020. This is a park bench in Albany's Washington Park urging people to "spread random acts of kindness." In the first weeks of the pandemic, a lot of similar messages were painted or chalked onto sidewalks and other surfaces. These messages of hope and solidarity marked the first few weeks, or even first couple months, of our experiences. Then people seemed to grow weary and more pessimistic by summer. I write this on 16 March 2021.
March 17, 2021
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If you feel your mental health has changed since the pandemic started, talk a bit about how, and why.
I know for certain my mental health has deteriorated since the onset of the pandemic. Since the onset of the pandemic, I have been diagnosed with clinical anxiety, symptoms of which I had never experienced before. I am struggling to find a medication that's effective in reducing the symptoms without causing problematic side-effects of their own. Many days I find it hard to concentrate on work tasks more than a few minutes at a time, which greatly hinders my ability to work on big projects that need attention. I am very easily distracted, I'm exhausted from roughly 2p onward, such that I get nothing done for myself or my house/partner after the work day ends. My decreased mental health has decreased my physical health. It's going to be a very, very long road back to healthy when the pandemic is over in this country, provided I survive.
March 17, 2021
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¿De que manera el coronavirus le está afectando su vida en este momento? Cuéntenos sus experiencias, sensaciones/emociones, y pensamientos.
Está semana no he estado muy bien emocionalmente hablando, he notado que estoy cansada de llevar la misma rutina, es como vivir un día de la marmota eternamente , levantarme a las 10am tomar clase de yoga, desayunar, repasar el inglés, comer, hacer ejercicio, comer, salir a correr y dormir y así todos los días desde que empezó esta cuarentena... Pero hoy decidí salir a caminar, eso es algo que siempre me ayuda a calmarme y pensar en las cosas que me atormentan, caminé hasta llegar a un lugar llamado Costanera Sur en Buenos Aires, descubrí que este es mi lugar favorito de la ciudad, el haber llegado ahí sin planearlo fue un regalo, cómo cuando sientes que ya todo está muy oscuro y entonces de pronto un arcoiris se asoma a lo lejos, así fue. Pienso que nada es para siempre, ni siquiera está monotonía que parece nunca acabarse, sé que no soy la única que se siente así, y que hay muchas personas que están allá afuera Trabajando para tener algo que comer o luchando contra el COVID, gente que quisiera poder estar a salvó en sus casas, pero su situación se los impide. Así que no me queda más que agradecer el poder tener un techo sobre mí, tener salud y comida. Si la situación no se puede transformar, entonces no me queda más que transformarme a mí.
March 17, 2021
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Talk about how the events of recent months have affected either your work or your ability to work.
Since the pandemic started, our work has been so slow it's practically no work at all. We (my husband and I) own a graphic design/web site/marketing company that's been operating since 1990. The bulk of our clients are non-profits or school districts. We do custom web sites, newsletters, advertising, and that kind of stuff. And nobody really wants anything right now. I'm pretty sure when I filed my personal taxes for 2020, I had negative income. That's not going to be helpful in the world of retirement. We've done a couple of catalogs for one client, but it's half the work we normally do. Our school districts by now would have had several newsletters and other projects, but have given us nothing. Our non-profits would be gearing up for spring fundraising galas and annual reports, but there's nothing happening there either. Thank goodness for unemployment, the EIDL and PPP. Without those, we would have been homeless a year ago. I don't like that we've had to go into debt to stay afloat, but it's better than living in a tent somewhere. We do all of our work remotely, so we have had the ability work throughout the last year. We just lack clients. I've been applying for remote work pretty regularly but can't even get an interview. When I got an email last night about a job I applied for, the note on the bottom said there were 526 other applicants. It's tough out there and we're trying to pay off as much as we can and stick as much as we can into a savings account. The largesse of the government won't last forever, but I have no idea how long the work-related impacts will last. Let's hope they end concurrently.
March 17, 2021
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Algunas personas están sintiendo emociones muy intensas en este momento. ¿Hay algo que le pone especialmente triste, o enojada/o en este momento? Si es así, ¿en qué está pensando?
Tengo muchas personas que pasan por emociones fuertes, así que trataré de resumirlo lo mejor posible. Recientemente mi papá recibió noticias sobre sus compañeros de trabajo que desafortunadamente, se contagiaron de COVID19. El de vez en cuando está nervioso por la noticia ya que le preocupa que algo le pase, y tanto mi mamá y yo tratamos de calmarlo diciéndole que no debe preocuparse ya que el es muy consciente de las medidas sanitarias y optó por una medida más adecuada para mantenerse sano. Esto resulta molesto pero también preocupante porque tengo miedo de que algo peor llegue. Otras personas por las que me preocupo son mis abuelos, ahora trato de mantenerme en constante contacto con ellos, ya que, según lo que me comentan, se sienten solos en su casa, a cada momento les mando algún saludo para saber cómo se sienten. Mi mamá es muy propensa a estresarse, y a veces puede llegar a controlarse aunque se le dificulte con el tiempo, pero de todas formas yo igual intento hacer algo por su bienestar mental. Todo el tiempo me preocupo por ella porque trabaja en un sector de salud (no es doctora y enfermera pero esta en una oficina donde se encargan de los paciente de su jefe). Todos los días intento aprovechar el tiempo en casa para distraerme y mantener equilibrado mi salud tanto física como emocional.
March 17, 2021