It is now three months since I posted an article. I made a conscious decision on September 27 to step away for a while. The corona virus affected me deeply. No, I wasn’t worried about getting it—I was consumed with other issues. I was overcome with fear about what it was doing to our society and our way of life. I was worried about the changes in our city when people stopped going to our local shops and began to shop online instead. I was worried about our children and the radical changes in our educational system. I was worried that we would get used to the closed doors, averted faces, and the pervasive silence around us.
But life goes on. Some of my fears have come true, and some have not. Its not over, I know, and we may have many more months of dealing with this disease and its ramifications before it is gone.
With a new year ahead of us, I remain optimistic and forward-looking. I am still here, still well, and still filled with hope for the future. At this point, I won’t commit to a posting schedule, although I know I won’t be absent for as many months again!
Be well, be strong, and above all, be awake to the changes that will be coming in 202l, as they surely will.
Happy New Year, Diane. It’s good to see you back again. Hopefully 2021 will bring improvements in everything!
So great to hear from you, Clive! Happy New Year to you! Yes, I’m definitely looking forward to some meaningful improvements this year.
Fingers crossed!
Exactly.
Happy New Year, fellow same-name! Stay strong, stay writing, stay positive. You are not invisible and your thoughts matter. Well wishes from Diane W.
Thank you, Diane! May all of your wishes come true this year!
Happy 2021. In the US we are only 19 days away from our second New Year. You are right to say there are many hard days ahead but we have no choice but to press on and care for one another. We must all stay focused.
Happy New Year, Alexandra! I’m counting Blessings, and wishing for more to come!
welcome home Diane! in blogland it’s as if your house has been empty. and it has been waiting for you.
I’m going to try not to worry this year. that is my only resolution.
whatever happens is going to happen.
my worrying about it all only affects me! I am finally learning that. it has only taken me 75 years to do it! LOL.
Happy New Year Diane! we got 6 to 8 inches of beautiful fresh white SNOW. I’m looking at it as a good omen for this brand new year. because we were in a drought. this is MOISTURE! and so very beautiful! XO
Wow! Great comment, tammy j! Thank you for the encouragement and your observations about worry. I agree…what a useless activity! If I was to make any resolutions, ending worry will be at the top of my list!
Hi Diane!
I am just coming back after a break of over a year! Covid was hard, and I was affected in a lot of the same ways that you were. As a teacher and a parent of a middle school student with a disability, distance learning was hard. I worried about my yoga community during the shutdown, and it has been heartbreaking to see businesses closing and people struggling. And yet here we are, still moving forward!
Happy 2021!
Yes. So much courage and positivism displayed by people everywhere! May it continue!
Hang in there. Be well.
Thanks, Neil…Right back at you!
Glad to know all is well at your end of the universe Diane! Oddly enough my spouse and I agree that 2020 was the best year of entire adult lives. We spent more high quality time together than we have ever had a chance to do, we did not want for food, or shelter. Only two of our extended family died, one on a cruise, and the other after attending a car show. My Mom has so far survived, a blessing. My dying brother is still with us, he made it through 2020. Although I have experienced a lot of stress, as has Attila, our lives have been stressful all along, it is just different now. And I have felt less alone than I ever have in my life, as I have anaphylaxis and faced the possibility of sudden death for decades, now some others seem to understand what that feels like, and how deeply it affect one’s way of life.
As for the larger picture, the species will likely survive this, and things will carry on as they have, the haves will have, and the have nots will not have. There is a reordering of just who gets to be in what category, some lose, others win, it was always like this. It seems that there will be a larger proportion of the population that will be relegated to have nots, which is sad. I regard all of these super-structural issues as under-informed, the general public has far too little of the details to make any kind of informed decisions about what is going on and where it is going. So I hope for the best, and plan for the worst.
I hope the world sees positive growth, enlightenment, increased compassion, kindness, and a more measured, informed, and moderate approach to social decision making. Happy New Year Diane!
I admire your positive conclusions after such a year. You have put much in perspective—something which is necessary to do for a good frame of mind. I too, would be sad to think that ‘have nots’ may increase as a result of the restructuring which is, as you say, already underway. Thank you for this comment, Maggie, and especially for the last paragraph. Happy New Year, and many Blessings for the new year!
Happy New Year, Diane. I experienced similar feelings and didn’t blog from August until November. It just didn’t seem that important in the face of so much fear and suffering. But, the world keeps spinning. Wishing you a 2021 filled with health, happiness and goodwill. Glad to be reading you again. All good wishes and write on . . .
You summed up my reactions in one sentence, Stephanie! I suppose that I too, simply felt that I couldn’t make much of an impact in the face of so much fear and suffering. Thank you for your thoughts, and encouragement. All the Best for the future!
Hi Diane! Greetings for the New Year! I’m not sure when it will be happy again especially for seniors. The seniors in long-term care institutions have been forgotten and left to die. The COVID-19 pandemic has derailed any plans that many seniors have to get their old jobs back. Many seniors have money invested in mutual funds that could be on the edge of a market crash.Vaccines have been rushed to the marketplace which could have side effects sometime in the future. After all this bad news i’m fine and still plan to help people especially seniors to find their own way and be more self sufficient and resilient during another year of likely more turbulence. The strong will survive but not without facing many more challenges in the New Year ahead. Namaste.
Joe, you already do so much for seniors—it’s encouraging that you want to continue to work on our behalf. Thank you for your thoughts, and for your perspective. Happy New Year, and many Blessings!
Diane, I think a lot of us feel a sadness for the world that hadn’t existed to this extent before 2020. Our vulnerability, greed, ineptitude, and carelessness was revealed in ways I never thought possible. Even still, we carry on, with hope, putting one foot in front of the other to make life better. Welcome back and best wishes for 2021.
I agree with your thoughts about the sadness we feel. I’m not sure we deserved this, and I don’t know how to feel about the causes that brought this on. Yes, let’s carry on, and do the best we can. I wish you all the best in the New Year!
Happy 2021, Diane. I understand your fears about a society already so addicted to cyberspace. I, too, hope my downtown stores and restaurants will not become a ghost town. I think a good sign that “real life” interactions will survive–though it was a bad choice in that it spread COVID far and wide–is the vast number of people who found it impossible to stay home, who sought a public life, in beaches, bars, restaurants during this past year. Who sought to be among others. I’m not sure that before COVID most people appreciated how deeply social our species is, and how much we need one another.
Amy, like you, I appreciate the aspect about humanity that makes us want to be with each other. Connection is how we express our love. I agree that humanity is deeply social, and being kept apart has been the cause of our greatest sadness. Thank you for your comment, and may you have renewed happiness in the coming year.
Happy New Year Diane.
I can understand why you didn’t want to post anything much – as I watch from my rather safe country, New Zealand.
Yes, it’s possible that another community outbreak will occur but for now, it’s only those who come across the borders into gov’t managed quarantine where if they test positive remain “locked in” until clear. We the general population do have some restrictions, depending which region you live in but the general rules are basic hygiene, using the “tracker” or keeping a personal diary of your movements, stay home if you’ve sick.
Which is where I am right now, but not from covid-related rather just ordinary unwell stuff. I’ve hardly looked at the Net these last few days on my big laptop – nor wanted to do much. But now I seem to be mending…and summer is still beckoning me!
We have watched your countrys’ handling of the virus, so we know the incidence there has been comparatively low. We, on the west coast of Canada (Vancouver Island) have had tight control of the population. Our incidence has also been low. This is what it is—we are aware that there have been sacrifices, and some segments of the population have suffered. But we are all weary, and want it to end! I’m happy that you are on the mend, and hope you can enjoy what is left of your summer! Happy New Year, Cedar!
Indeed Healthy New Year to all of us. Remember that as bad as it was in 1914 with the Spanish Flu, it also went away. This too shall pass. Stay well and stay safe.
Peter & Lorraine
Peter, it is so good to hear from you! I know you are getting through this—I also know you are having your challenges. May the new year bring a measure of contentment to your life. Happy New Year to both of you!
Diane, it’s good to see you back again, albeit tentatively. I suspect our world will never be the same again—but the changing continues, and it won’t be quite like this in future. It’s very hard to process such momentous events, so withdrawing now and then seems like a healthy response to me. But welcome back, for now. Kia kaha.
Happy New Year, Rachel! Thank you for your welcoming comment. I agree that we will never really go back to ‘normal’. Life will be different, for sure. Many Blessings—stay well.
Welcome to my world. As I’ve probably mentioned Cheerful Monk came about from my wrestling with the suffering of the world when I was in high school. A recent quote I love is,
“The nature of life is constant change.
The nature of mankind is to resist that change.”
Best wishes for the coming year. It will be interesting…one harbinger that not all will go smoothly? According to the Gallup poll, Trump was the most admired man of 2020.
It’s nice having you back.
It’s great to see you back here, Diane. I can certainly understand your worries, many of which have played out as you feared. I’ve stopped predicting the future so I have no idea which changes will be permanent and which will go away as soon as we get the fabled herd immunity. I have found that blogging through these challenging times has helped me cope. The support of this amazing community can’t be overstated. I hope to see you around here a bit more often… you were missed.
I missed the interaction as well, but at one point, I seemed to be overcome with inertia, and found it better to just opt out. I plan to keep writing a blog every two weeks—at least that is my intention right now! Hope you have a Happy New Year, with lots of great things happening!
Welcome back, Diane. I also enjoyed the comments posted by your readers.
Thank you, Ruby. I am touched by the comments, and the welcome I have received after such a long absence!
Happy New Year, Diane. I enjoyed your blog and the comments your readers posted.
Thanks, Anon, and welcome to my blog. Happy New Year!
Nice to hear from you again. I had even sent an email to you but, did not get any response. Anyway, now that I am clear on what happened, here is wishing you a much better 2021.
Thank you, Rummuser. I must have been at a low point to miss an email from you! Thank you for understanding. As you may have noticed, I didn’t comment on other blogs, which I had always done. I’m feeling more connected now, and hope to get back on track with all of my regular activities! Happy New Year to You and Yours!
Welcome back, Diane
Happy New Year, Derrick, and thank you for your welcome!
Happy New Year! I missed your thoughtful posts. It’s good to know you are well. I find that blogging without the stimulation of face-to-face social interactions leaves me less motivated to write interesting posts. I worry that I have written too much about the pandemic! Stay strong!
Jeanette aka postworksavvy.
Happy New Year, Jeanette! Before I took my ‘break’, I wrote about many aspects of the pandemic, until I was completely sick of the subject! But really, other issues paled in comparison, it seemed. I’ll have to be more creative in the future, if I am to carry on writing! Thanks for your comment, and stay well.
I’m glad to hear that you’re okay. I’ve wondered about you. We have a ways to go before this is over. Stay safe.
We do, indeed. Stay calm, there are stormy waters ahead, I think.
Happy New Year! This will be an interesting one, to be sure.
I’m keeping calm, while a storm seems to gathering around us…
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