This morning I’ve been pondering all that we have lost in the past 12 months. We’ve lost the lives of more than 330,000 Americans to Covid alone; we’ve lost faith in government; we’ve lost faith that our neighbors will not do The Right Thing; and so much more.
What we’ve gained is much more difficult for me to measure. The time for reflection and creative activities comes to mind. For Laura, that includes art classes and solo painting, working in her gardens, many games of golf, and more. For me, it’s meant not doing as much writing as I might have liked to have done but learning new things on my guitar and banjo and spending a good number of days fly fishing in the gorgeous waters that surround us.
Of great import to us, though, is that it's also meant time to reflect on personal losses. First, an old friend and classmate died this past summer. She lived alone. Her passing was not noticed for weeks. Then, within the space of just a couple of months, a beloved cousin died. Two weeks later, her husband of many years also died.
Just a couple of weeks ago, a pair of long-time neighbors, people who lived across the street from us for more than 30 years when we were in Southern California, died. Our pal Sally was first. Within a couple of months, Jim, her husband, and a stellar friend, died.
None of these deaths was the result of Covid. But because of the risk of Covid, we were unable to travel to see any of these dear folks before they left us. And because of the risk of Covid, we were not able to attend services to pay our final respects.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed that friends and relatives, many of whom are seniors, just as we are, can manage to safely navigate the dangerous waters that lie ahead of us as we head toward the summer of 2021, which is when, we hope, anti-Covid vaccines will become widely available.
The job for all of us, I think, is to take good care of ourselves, and each other, until that finally happens.
Really, friends, take care of yourselves. And take care of your loved ones. This past year has brought us all enough sadness and sorrow to last for a very long time. I’m hoping that 2021 will allow us all to celebrate the manifold joys of life. So, hang in there and be careful.
JFT
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