Quote:
Originally Posted by Pretty Little Flower
This morning, I was speaking with a financial advisor for my father, and he shared with me that he had also lost a parent, his mother, who was infected with COVID in the early days of the pandemic. Her health went downhill so rapidly that he did not even have a chance to say goodbye to her, and of course he could not visit her, so she died alone, and likely afraid, in a Boston hospital surrounded by others who were dying alone and afraid. I expressed condolences and he mentioned that it has been such a difficult year for so many. I responded, “This year has been difficult?” He seemed taken aback by the question so I explained that, while there have certainly been challenges, the year has also been enriching and satisfying. For some, the pandemic disruptions have actually lowered their stress levels. I suggested he focus on the extent to which the pandemic has forced us to reexamine inefficient practices that had previously wasted our time. And also to enjoy the way the pandemic has contributed to the destruction of meaningless institutionalized rituals. In fact, I said, in some ways, it seems like the only real loss this year is travel. He did not come right out and say it, but I’m pretty certain he agreed, and that he appreciated my positivity and glass-is-half-full attitude.
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I just learned that our neighbor of ten years died in early July. She had had pneumonia for many years, and rolled a little oxygen tank around with her. She and I had arranged to have the trees between our house trimmed, must have been just before she died, and she was always on top of stuff like that. I guess she was having what seemed like complications of her pneumonia, but the paramedics who came out assumed she had COVID and took her to that ward of the local Kaiser hospital. Her family wasn't allowed in to see her for several days, and her daughter (who worked at that hospital) said she was threatened with arrest for challenging those restrictions.
I started worrying about her when I saw the FOR SALE sign in front of the house, but she'd been dead for a few months by then, so I guess the joke was on me.
