THE WHOLE WORLD STOPPED, BUT SOMEHOW WE KEPT LIVING

At the beginning of the pandemic last Spring, we mistakenly believed that the lockdown would last a few weeks, or at the most, a month. Initially, we welcomed the idea of spending quality time with our significant other; of organizing our closets and kitchens, and purging clothes and the items we no longer used or needed. Our homes sparkled! We felt a sense of great accomplishment. The lure of having unlimited time to create gourmet meals, bake sourdough bread, and learn the technique of braiding challah was enticing. To keep busy, when we weren't cleaning or cooking; some painted, others played canasta, bridge, poker, or mahjong online. Many of us binged shows on Netflix, read incessantly, or became full time home educators for our children. As Summer and the warm weather approached, we planned outdoor socially distant visits, scheduled dates to bring our own cocktails, and we ate meals at separate tables six feet from our friends and families. With the approach of Fall and then Winter, we perservered and stayed outdoors well into December, until we couldn't endure the cold weather any longer. Still undeterred, we then moved into newly redone garages with our scarves, hats, gloves, down parkas and portable heaters. We attended Zoom Birthdays, Baby Namings, Weddings, Thanksgiving feasts, Passover Seders, Funerals, and Work meetings. Cosmetic Surgeons thrived because it was the perfect time to tweak your unwanted whatever. Think about it, who would see you for the next several months? Exercise Equipment was all the rage; we could no longer go to the gym, and so the gym came to us. Some got into the best shape of their lives, because they finally had the time to exercise-they were no longer commuting to work at 6 a.m. and returning home at 7 p.m. While others ate more, snacked more, and ultimately, weighed more: the famous Covid 15! We replaced refrigerators, bought storage freezers, ordered new washers, dryers, dishwashers, ovens, and hot water heaters because ours broke from so much use! Appliance stores had no stock being delivered, and there were 3 -4 month waits if you were lucky enough to even score a new appliance. As weeks turned to months and the months approached a year, our enthusiasm for staying at home and being isolated began to wane. Depression and Anxiety set in. The daily news of deaths and illness took its toll on our psyche. Fear of losing loved ones constantly infiltrated our thoughts. Feeling hopeless, We drank more alcohol, ate more edibles, popped more Xanax, and took Ambien to sleep. We called our therapists! Lawyers, too, were busier than ever. People were creating wills, and/or reviewing and updating their old ones. People who never considered a will until now were obsessed with getting them signed by tomorrow! Video visits with our Doctors were off the charts : We needed to discuss imagined or real Covid symptons, palpatations and chest pain, and moles that might be cancers. Then Winter turned to Spring, and here we are! A year later and thankfully, many of us are fully vaccinated. Our lives are slowly returning to a "new normal". Vaccinations have afforded us the luxury of hugging our parents, our children, and our grandchildren. We can actually now visit a Doctor in person. We have finally scheduled long overdue teeth cleanings, colonoscopies, mammograms, and EKG's. We can go to a restaurant, a friend's home, or the gym if we so choose to do so. Our children are returning to school and camp (albeit with many restrictions and precautions). Adults are going back to their workplace (if their job still exists). And yet, many of you have elected to give up your office space and still prefer to work from home. Many of you chose to retire. This year seems like a very bad dream. Ultimately, from a crisis you may discover some good, if you search hard enough. We learned to open our hearts to what really matters. We learned to live with fewer resources. We learned to cherish every moment and never take our health for granted. We learned to take more notice of the joys and kindnesses that do exist. We learned to relish moments of laughter and love. We have learned patience and resilence. We learned how to be better parents-how to balance the need to protect our children/grandchildren from danger, while allowing them to be young and free. We learned to NEVER give up hope. My wish for all the babies conceived and born during this crazy time, is that they never experience the anguish of a pandemic in their lifetime. You should know that you truly are cause for celebration! You are the greatest result of a year that was NOT great. My wish for the children who do remember this year, is that it will be a joyful memory for you. A time when you spent loads of quality time with your Mommies and Daddies who would have otherwise been out of the home at work. So, everyone it is time to drop the doughnuts and lift those dumbbells! Go back out into the world! Have fun this Summer and enjoy your friends and your family. "Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering "it will be happier'....Tennyson PEACE OUT-ONE B