I was noticing the other day that blog posts have been fewer and farther (further?) between of late. I suppose that’s the natural course when you have a four and eleven year old. And a cat! More time dedicated to finding snacks for everyone, including the cat, and less time for creative pursuits.
It has been three years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For a lot of people the darkest days of the pandemic have been in the rearview mirror for a little while. People got vaccinated, things began to open up, and life started to look normal again. For obvious reasons, our family’s reemergence didn’t follow the same timeline as most others. Since March 2020, our priority has been keeping Betsy safe and healthy. As of the writing of this blog post, none of us have tested positive for COVID-19 (brb going to find some wood to knock on).
In some ways it feels like a miracle. A lot of people that we know, including those who took the pandemic seriously from day one and who have taken precautions for both themselves and others, have tested positive at this point. A friend of mine texted me just the other day saying that he tested positive and was feeling awful. I guess it’s a good reminder that COVID-19 is still out there.
From the beginning we have tried to lean heavily on the advice of Betsy’s pulmonary specialists on how a person with a serious lung disease should confront a global pandemic caused by a virus that primarily affects the lungs. Masking was imperative. I remember the first mask I bought. It was the material of a denim shirt. And it had a pocket that could accommodate an air filter. It was miserable! Many subsequent versions followed over the last three years. We did not gather with others for the longest time apart from socially distanced, outdoor meet ups at the park or in the backyard. Later, after vaccinations were more widespread, we were able to resume limited indoor interactions but would only ditch the masks if everyone was able to test negative and then quarantine until said gathering. We are so thankful for the many friends and family who graciously followed more stringent protocols in order to allow us to participate in things like holiday and birthday celebrations while still keeping Betsy safe.
It was a long three years.
I look at pictures of myself from February 2020 and notice significantly less grey hair. Maybe it was coming either way. But the last three years has been extremely stressful! Living in constant state of paranoia takes a toll. For the longest time, I could not shake the thought that any time I left the house, I could potentially return with a virus that would be devastating to the health of the person I love the most. So we stayed the course. Even though the masks were tiresome. And the testing was inconvenient. And the isolation was lonely (not for me personally…I don’t really like other people, but I heard it was rough for some! 😉 ).
I would monitor case counts and hospitalizations and death rates multiple times a week (#fun). For the longest time it felt like there was no progress being made. I remember looking at the daily statistics in January 2022 and the number of cases reported in our county was about five times what they were in March 2020. I think the official language was something like “our community COVID-19 level is high”. But really you just knew because if you looked on the map, everything was red.
I have to say that our kids have been such troopers. It’s not easy to get a toddler to wear a mask. Alena had her first birthday during the first lockdown period. So she’s lived the majority of her life during the pandemic. She got used to wearing masks and leaving them on pretty quickly. Lucas has been a great example for her, never complaining and always helping her adjust her own mask to make sure it was fitting snuggly over her nose and mouth.
Then, this past January, shortly after the holidays, the weekly update from the public schools came through on a Friday. The “community COVID-19 level is….LOW”. Complete with a big green square (not red)! It almost felt like it had to be a mistake. Apart from a random week in the summer of 2021, it hadn’t been low since before the onset of the pandemic. One week, turned into two. Two weeks, turned into three. It wasn’t a fluke. Betsy’s pulmonary doctors had always said when the levels reached low, we could feel free to resume normal activity.
I have found it difficult to just throw caution to the wind. I was prepared to wear a mask indoors for the rest of my life. I was prepared to only ever get takeout. It hasn’t been as easy as flipping a switch. We told Lucas that he could choose whether or not he wanted to wear a mask to school and initially he said that he still wanted to wear one. Easter Sunday was the first week we didn’t wear masks to church (no offense to anyone but I read A LOT of articles about the trajectory of droplets while belting out the hymns). I still wear a mask during peak Trader Joe’s hours because that place is insane. I went to my first concert since before the pandemic and wore a mask. Surprisingly, I wasn’t the only one.
A couple weeks ago, I took the kids to eat at a restaurant for the first time since pre-COVID times. Alena was like “What is this place????? They just bring food to you????” Yes, sweet girl. There’s a whole post-pandemic world for you to explore!
Bright Hope 