I’ve had a lot on my mind for potential blogs. 1. I have been a nurse for 15 years. 2. I graduated high school 19 years ago. 3. My niece had an in-person recital for the first time in 2 years. 4. My sons got to see one of my Aunt/Uncle’s.
COVID is still here. I’m going to preface this blog post with I am fully aware of COVID. I am fully aware of the risks. In fact both my sons had COVID in January, and both of them coughed all over me, one literally in my mouth, and I think I’m one of those magical immune people…because I never got it (I got 3 PCR tests…all negative).
I will say that as people are getting it now- many who are vaccinated have much less severe illness. Many who are unvaccinated still have risks of death.
So don’t get on your soapbox about COVID to me. I get it.
But. People around me are very done. We are all fully vaccinated and we all basically miss each other and doing things. We are not stupid. We still test before seeing each other. We still discuss risk factors. We still spend as much time outside as possible. But we also need to live. We need to connect.
One of my Aunts was immunosuppressed during COVID making it doubly risky to see her. So we waited. And waited. We did see her at Christmas and my Uncle and cousin for the first time in two years. After Christmas, well my sons got COVID, and it was still difficult due to COVID to get together. Finally Spring arrived and we made plans for my sons and I to go over for dinner and pool time. It was heaven.
I was making a side dish that morning and I was marveling at the fact that I was making a side dish to bring somewhere. My world has shrunk to two friends, my mom, and sister in the last two years. So while I have done meals with them…and I love you all for being part of my bubble…it was incredibly exciting to see other people.
Now, mind you, I also grew up with both my Mom’s sisters. So going to their houses has not ever been a novelty, because we were frequently with them. But it felt so incredible to hang with them by the pool, and to have my sons there. The boys ran around their house, and it’s just not possible to describe the feelings of seeing your children run through hallways that I ran through as a child, and to think that we couldn’t do this for two years.
It’s felt like such a loss in many ways. Not only because I have not been able to see family members, but because my sons have been growing, changing, and they haven’t gotten to know the family members who I grew up with, who mean something to me.
At one point my Uncle had my son in a position to sort of dunk him, and if it had been my sister, my cousins, or I, there is no doubt in my mind he would have dunked us. But he doesn’t know my sons well enough yet to do it. He and I made eye contact and laughed because we both knew that I would have been toast in that position. And some day my sons will be too. We will get back to the connections that we had and honestly they are sweeter because I felt the loss of them over the last two years.
We have all changed, grown, I got divorced, and experienced so much through my business. And they have been facing their own battles. A simple dinner and some pool time was the sweetest moment of connection I have experienced in two years. And I hope to never take that for granted again.
Obviously I have many thoughts about being a nurse for fifteen years (two of which were during a global pandemic) and my niece’s in person recital is more a commentary on COVID and how I was able to attend an in person event and it was lovely! More to come about nursing. And as for high school…19 years…yeah. I have nothing more to say about that other than I feel old!
(The picture is NOT of my family and I lol, it just felt appropriate and was free through WordPress)
Lesbehon...est 