I Shall Pass This Way But Once

Every so often Vince meets up with some buddies for a little male bonding over a glass of scotch and a cigar. Or two.

This gives me a little “Jane Time,” which is equally as important. I may head over to mom’s place for a visit. Or I might run some errands. Or I’ll have my own catch-up time with friends.

Obviously, none of those things are options right now in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic.

Or are they?

Vince’s friend Steve suggested today that they all get together via Zoom – so Vince is out on the patio enjoying the sunshine and warmth while drinking a glass of scotch and smoking a cigar – and talking and laughing with his friends.

That’s simply awesome.

I just love the creativity I’m seeing right now both in talent and ideas. Musicians are singing and playing for us online. The funny memes are out of control. And there are an awful lot of TikTok and Facebook Live videos being posted that are everything from the silly to the sublime.

But even better - families are taking walks together and friends are gathering in the street (albeit 6’ apart). I even saw a creative way some girlfriends got together by parking their vehicles in a semi-circle and sitting in their open trunks to hang out together and laugh.

I think we are all rediscovering the important things in life. Like life itself. And treasuring the time we get to spend with people we care about.

And maybe when this is all over and we are once again able to eat a meal in a restaurant or watch a game on the TV at a sports bar or gather together for, well, any reason at all, we will not take these things for granted.

When I was a kid I had a favorite saying. Don’t ask me where I came across it back then – but I can still remember it today. Maybe not word for word (as I’m old), but pretty close. I didn’t even know who the author was until I just now looked it up on Google. It’s by Etienne De Grellet (or Stephen Grellet – Wikipedia being what it is). But it reads:

I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

Good words to live by. Especially now.

Wishing you all a happy (and especially) healthy Sunday.

It's a Ponytail Kinda Day

I have to admit this self-quarantine thing is getting to me a teeny tiny bit. Vince and I have gotten a little snippy with each other a time or two over whose turn it is to make breakfast.

I’m sick of all the provisions in our fridge for sustenance and would love to pick something off a menu that someone else prepares (and, most importantly, cleans up after we’re finished eating).

And who could have predicted that walking the dog for the sixth time would end up being the highlight of my day?

Not me, that’s for sure.

The benefit of staying at home other than a rare trip to the grocery store is that I haven’t felt the need to put on makeup most days. Makes my nighttime cleansing routine a whole lot easier, that’s for sure.

I used to be the person who would never be seen in public without being fully coiffed and made up. I remember my parents used to tease me when we’d vacation at their cottage in Cape Cod because I couldn’t leave to go deep sea fishing until I had applied my waterproof mascara and lip gloss.

Like the cod cared.

And then a couple things happened – 1) I got older and I wasn’t as concerned about my looks, 2) I got married and every once in a while Vince would ask if it could be a “ponytail” kind of day to head out to the stores. This was his shorthand for asking me not to take a shower to wash, dry and style my hair and apply makeup, which would delay us at least another hour.

But, most significantly, 3) happened. Which was we got a dog. And lemme just tell you – ain’t no way I’m getting fully coiffed first thing in the morning to take Maggie Minx on her potty walk.

So I’m not as fastidious as I once was. But I also haven’t turned in my Sephora frequent shopper card either.

Yesterday, my book club met via Zoom. We’re all a bit, uh, older and we didn’t want to tempt the virus gods by meeting in person. We didn’t get as in-depth about the book as we might have under normal circumstances – and we also didn’t get to partake in the yummy treats the hostess planned for the meeting – but I’ve gotta give us props for trying something new.

However, before we started our video group chat, I made sure my hair was fixed and my makeup carefully applied. I’m not sure it mattered because I really couldn’t see anyone else that clearly to know if they had done the same thing. All I knew is that I felt presentable.

So I’m okay with that.

But today it’s back to being a ponytail kinda day. And I’m okay with that, too.

And I’ll be glad once my ponytail kind of days are less standard operating procedure and more every once in a while. Then I’ll know we’ve turned the corner.

So for now, I’m just hoping everyone I know and love is being as socially distant as possible so they can take care of themselves and stay healthy.

Feel free to make it a ponytail kinda day.

We Got This!

There are many things I’m frustrated/sad/ grumpy about right now with the COVID-19 pandemic – but there are many things I’m happy/grateful/ tickled about, too.

First off, I’m grateful that I’m not sick. Nor is anyone I care about - to my knowledge, anyway. Like the meme that states, that moment when you’re worried about the elderly and then you realize you are the elderly. Haha – right?

Not so much. Egad. How and when did I join the “elderly” category?

Suddenly, social distancing becomes way more important, doesn’t it? I really don’t want to come out the loser in the “who gets the ventilator” coin toss because of my age. So listening to the experts is critical. (And something I would have done even if I didn’t have to take my advanced years into consideration.)

I’m annoyed about things, too. Like, for instance, it annoys me that I’m still worried about flippin’ toilet paper, for cryin’ out loud. (Clearly, since my last blog was also about the scarcity of the ol’ bath tissue!)

But every time we use up another roll, I get a little jittery. Over the past two weeks, we’ve gone to the store maybe three times and there hasn’t been any toilet paper on the shelves even once.

I can’t think of any other staple in our household that causes me such consternation, but I truly think it’s my “Girl Scout” mentality that comes into play here of always being prepared.

If our supplies get too low, we may have to resort to looking at Youtube videos for DIY bidet installations.

I kid. Sorta. It depends on the Charmin’ situation in the next several weeks.

On a serious note, I am truly sad that I can’t visit my mom at her memory care unit right now. She is pretty far advanced in her Alzheimer’s and probably wouldn’t know if I have or have not visited her, so I suspect that any visits would benefit me more than her.

But I am incredibly grateful for the staff at The Glen because they have called so we can say “I love you” to mom. They have shared photos on FB or via texts so we can see her. And they are taking such good care of our loved ones that I am not sure how I can possibly ever say “thank you” enough.

They are most certainly tired. They have to go through a health check process just to walk in the door to get to work. And the uncertainty they face about potentially contracting the virus from some unsuspecting coworker who doesn’t show symptoms has to weigh heavily on their minds and hearts. Because they could then unknowingly bring the virus home to their shelter-in-place families.

It is the same for all front-line healthcare workers and first responders. I cannot imagine having the strength to do what they do. But I’m awfully grateful that they do it to benefit me and all my fellow citizens. (I was going to say “My Fellow

Americans” – but that still sounds a little too Nixon-ish for my taste.)

So while I miss going out to dinner and seeing a movie or heading to the gym for some much needed cardio, or running to the store to pick up, well, anything besides paper products and hand sanitizer – I think this time is a good “reset” for us to realize what is important in life. And that, although there will be some heartache or tough economic times for many of us ahead, we will weather the storm as we demonstrate the resilient nature we have.

And if we don’t have a resilient nature, we’re darn sure going to have to dig up some resiliency. After all, our forbearers made it through war and famine and all sorts of epidemics that we, with all our modern medicine and technology, can’t even imagine.

They even made do without the Charmin’ mega-rolls – or bidets.

So we got this!

Oh, For the Love of T.P.

So it’s an interesting time here on Planet Earth these days with the Coronavirus – or COVID-19, if you don’t want to confuse the latest scourge with a beer frequently served with a lime wedge.

How people can confuse the two is a mystery to me.

But whatever.

Schools and events are being cancelled left and right. We look on in horror every time we witness someone cough or sneeze. And staples are flying off the shelves at every grocery, discount and warehouse store around.

But the worst thing is store shelves are bereft of toilet paper. And it’s getting to me.

No, not because I want to mimic the masses and hoard it like everyone else seems to be doing.

It’s, well, it’s because “toilet paper” was on my shopping list.

And now I can’t cross it off my list.

Whenever we open the last pack of t.p. and distribute it amongst our bathrooms here at home, I add it to my list for our next Costco shopping trip.

This is a system that has worked well for many years and I am happy to report we have never had any sort of dire toilet paper emergency.

There are only two of us here, so it’s not like we’re using case quantities of the stuff. I may only purchase the humongous Costco package two or three times a year.

So it’s an interesting phenomenon that I am not sure I’ve witnessed before.

I mean, I don’t live in an area where hurricanes or earthquakes necessitate the panicked purchases of bottled water, batteries and potato chips.

And I think the last time I scurried to the grocery store in anticipation of a major snowstorm was in 2008 when I was single and had no food at the house. So picking up enough supplies to get me through the few days I was snowed in was warranted.

Oh, and who am I kidding? I’m sure at the top of my “Emergency List” was wine.

So walking through Costco the other day and not being able to purchase one humongous package of toilet paper was disappointing.

And then later seeing the empty stretch of shelving in the paper products aisle at Kroger was almost alarming.

When I got home, I accessed the CDC website to review the symptoms of COVID-19. I mean, did I miss the part about the virus causing intestinal, er, disturbances requiring an extra supply of toilet paper?

No, no I did not miss that part.

So what is the deal, people?

         

Stop it. Stop with the panic. Stop with the hoarding. Be sensible. Wash your hands. Cover your face when you cough or sneeze.

As for me, well, I will be counting down the days ‘til things are back to normal and I can cross toilet paper off my shopping list without causing panic and mayhem.

It just better be before we’re down to the last roll.