2022
What a couple of years it has been. 2020 was all about the pandemic, quarantine, and the federal bailout money that saved me - because even though I was already living a very simplified life after I lost everything in the Great Recession, I survived on the federal aid. So many people could not. Then 2021 came along, and I was able to find a minimum wage customer service job I could do from home, on my laptop and cell phone - and I was eternally grateful because this job allowed me to keep going.
I will continue my self-imposed quarantine until we reach herd immunity, because I don't think I'd survive if I caught the bad version of Covid (apparently Omnicron is not as bad as some of the other waves that have gone around, but I don't want to find out). I'm triple vaccinated and only go out to the supermarket once a week, to my sister's or a friend's house for a few hours of socializing (with like-minded Quarantiners) on Saturdays. And once a month I take some food and supplies to a friend in need, who is also quarantined. Otherwise I'm alone at home, and I'm OK with it. I have my rescued dogs and cats (and a crazy neighborhood chicken) that love me and need me, and allow me to love them back, and for now, work, animal love, a stocked fridge, and Netflix is more than enough.
I'm doing well, even though my sleep patterns are a little wonky. I'm hopeful that we all come through this, learn the many lessons nature is throwing at us, and we all find pragmatic solutions to the many existential problems that are barreling down on us. The time for shutting our collective eyes to what is really going on is over. We have survived an awful epidemic. Climate Change is here and attacking us. We have eight years to right this ship or humanity will likely disappear from the face of this earth. For me the argument is not whether I'm damaging the chances of survival of future generations. It's much more immediate. I don't want my last twenty years to be all about exhausting and ever-present survival plans from one disaster to another, without doing anything to address the real problems, I'm doing radical changes to my lifestyle, and teaching others to do the same.
How are you?
