the view from our mountain in NC
~Colette
It has been quite some time since I have written a blog... much has happened in my life. Three grandchildren, the death of my mother, and a much planned for and anticipated move from Indiana to the mountains of North Carolina. Donald Trump was elected president, and suddenly the world changed on a dime. As I have said to Lanny many times, it feels like I went to bed one night and woke up in an alternate universe.
And now, we are facing even harder times with the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been just a few days short of a month that we have been quarantined here in our mountain home. We are shut away from the outside world as much as humanly possible, though as I consider how we are living, I cannot find much to complain about. Being quarantined has been a mixed blessing. First, lets get the whining over with:
1. I miss seeing my new friends!
2. I miss going out to eat, to shop, to see and do cultural things here.
3. I miss being able to go visit my children and grandchildren. Oh how I miss their hugs!!!
4. I worry a lot about our health. As "seniors" we are at risk for health issues in general.
5. The pandemic has caused a national financial crisis, and this has certainly impacted us too. Our "nest egg" dwindles daily...
I know a lot of readers worry about these things too. Nothing feels quite right, does it?
But... there is much for me to be thankful for. And expressing gratitude can be contagious, so here is a list of what I am thankful for:
1. I live in a world of technology, where I can use social media like Facebook to interact with my friends. When you have to type out what you want to say, it can certainly make you think twice about what exactly you are saying!
2. We are being encouraged to help local restaurants by ordering take out food. However, we live far enough from town that most things are not hot by the time we get them home. And there is the fear of some viral contamination. So... we cook! Sometimes together (my favorite!) or sometimes he cooks, mostly I do. And I try to be creative. AND we get groceries delivered to the house. Wow... that is really amazing. I may keep that up after this whole thing is over!!
3. Again, technology helps grandparent/grandchildren interactions with FaceTime. It's simple, and gives both sides a sense of being together. It is reassuring to hear how parents are coping with having the kids home, howe e-learning is happening, how they are amazingly resilient. Kudos to moms and dads for helping kids not be afraid.
4. Our health is excellent. We are forced to focus on staying that way, by such things as walking every day (where we live it really is uphill both ways!!). It's easy to walk here because the scenery is so magnificent. And it's spring... it's been a beautiful one so far. There is a reason Aaron Copeland named his piece Appalachian Spring!!
5. We can't go out so there is not much to spend money on. Our expenses have dropped significantly. We are financially fine.
6. Being forced to stay away from people, for distancing ourselves from the world in general, has made us much more aware of what we do with all our time, what is important, who is important to us. It has caused a lot of introspection. Lanny and I are closer than ever because we seem to be in synch with what we see as important. We tend to talk more about what is important, to have a little more patience with each other, to find a little bit of joy each day with each other.
Don't get me wrong... this quarantine has been scary and not much fun. But it isn't all bad. And I have much to be thankful for.
"Enough" is a feast!
~Buddhist proverb
Welcome back! Great to see our lives, which parallel yours so closely, captured in print. Cheers, Steve
ReplyDelete