The View From Here – Are You Keeping Track?

One of the things I got caught up on when I was on vacation last week, was documenting this pandemic life.

I have a Happy Planner which I’ve been using for a long time.  It should be for “planning”.   Events, dinner dates, weddings, birthday parties, to do lists and dentist appointments.   Coffee dates, work schedules.

It’s turned into more of a memory keeper/ scrapbook of sorts.

In the beginning of the year, it was about simple day to day stuff.   Now it’s the ever changing #covidlife.

Interesting to look back on when this whole thing started.

Back in March, the Fox staff got together for picture day.  It was the 12th.  A Thursday.   In just days the world began to change. 

There were jokes about toilet paper shortages.  Grocery store shelves were picked over and empty.

March 23rd non-essential businesses started to close.  Fitness classes and church services started online. People started to work from home.

School was cancelled.

We started baking bread and reaching for comfort foods.  We couldn’t find flour or yeast anywhere.

There were positive messages showing up in windows and on rocks scattered through communities.

We went back to board games and jigsaw puzzles to keep busy.

Gas prices were at an all time low.  Streets were empty.  Sarnia was a ghost town when it should be busy.  Parking lots empty.

Birthday parties weren’t allowed so people were doing drive-by birthday parades.  There were parades to show support to essential workers.

Businesses adjusted to an online platform.  For the first time ever I got my summer plants online and picked them up in the parking lot.

Work meetings were happening on Zoom with kids and pets the stars of the show.

May 19th – the school year was cancelled.  Kids were crushed.  Missing prom, graduations and school trips.

Hair cuts were happening at home as people needed to do something with their messy mops.

One by one we saw everything cancelled or postponed.  Fundraisers, events, concerts.  No new television shows or movies.  No fall fairs.

The world came to a stand still.

We missed people.  Hugs.  Visits.

Graduation ceremonies were held online, virtually.

We cleaned closets.   We read books and binge watched Netflix.    We spent way too much time with ourselves – our own thoughts and feelings.

We realized what mattered the most – people.  And we missed it and some of us still do.  Some of us are still waiting to reunite with friends and family.

Masks.  Social distancing.   Waiting in line.

Hope. Fear.  Frustration. Our emotions have been all over the place.  We’ve felt it all.

And we aren’t out of the woods yet.

Are you tracking the world events?  Are you journalling or finding a way to remember the year we’d rather not?

It’s been a wild ride.  Highs and lows. Ups and downs.  So much change and adjustments.

Don’t let it take away what’s good in the world.  Don’t let your fear and frustration change how you act or treat others.

Remember kindness and compassion.

Let’s go back to those days when it was all in, stronger together,  we’ll get through this.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan