Covid-lost and found

 

 

Rick:  The kids visited last year.

Me: That was two years ago. Last year was lockdown.

Rick: Last year was a lost year.

Me: I thought of it as a found year.

Perspective is everything. 

1. Yes there were things we couldn't do. We didn't travel to Toronto, Nova Scotia, Iceland, Ireland, Boston or Scotland. He didn't attend certain conferences which he attended almost annually.

• 1A  Lost because we couldn't go.
• IB  Found because they are still there. A chance to enjoy our memories of previous trips. We can look forward to them in the future: meals, walks with the dog, watching news or Netflix or TV or ... Reading future. We gained time that we didn't spend looking for dog sitters, packing, getting to and from...more peace.
  

2. Some things were almost normal. Since we are both writers, much of our time is spent together-apart, each at our laptops taping away. We read bed in the morning or before falling asleep at night or before an afternoon nap.

• 2A Lost  Chance to take a break from our regular activities at will. See friends.
  
• 2B Found  A recognition of how lucky we are to have what we have. When we see people we know in our quick trips for food, there is more joy--joy at a distance.
  

3. And there were different things: quarantine, curfews, closed stores, hand sanitizer, q-tips on steroids shoved up our noses to allow us more leeway than restrictions, masks, attestations before stepping out the door.

• 3A Lost  Chance to shop. Wasting time thinking about tests, shots, getting to Geneva or Argelès. Having to go back home to get and masks and/or attestations which we forgot and didn't remember until we were half way down the street.
  
• 3B  Found  Observations on how well set up for the shots and tests the vaccination and testing centers were. Chance to talk to different workers on why and how they are faring. Thinking about problems in WWII preparing papers, traveling, crossing borders were far greater.

4. Lack of restaurants, terraces and cafés.

• 4A  Lost indoor meals at our favorite places in Switzerland and France and no chance to find new ones.
• 4B  Found Appreciation of our favorite places that started take outs. Learned of a new food delivery service in Geneva that opened up all sorts of culinary treats. A way around by getting coffee to go and finding benches outdoors with friends sitting far, far apart.

Masks might be annoying, but there were the special masks my daughter sent decorated with our dog's photo. Because she was working at home, we got a chance to FB message more often for quicky catch-ups. 

Each day that passed where we didn't lose someone we loved to the disease, each day we stayed healthy, each time something opened up even for a short time was a cause for a mini-celebration.

The virus did not stop us from the beauty of the places where we lived. Our ability to entertain ourselves was not diminished and because our lives had slowed, there was a greater inner peace.

My feeling--2020 and so far 2021 is found time. My husband's viewpoint: https://lovinglifeineurope.blogspot.com/2021/05/lost-year.html?fbclid=IwAR3aQvtHl-fVNIJGKPOjgrdBel4lcv0trFh5_gnW5yTFrXoRPWwWN1uThlI