Life During a Pandemic
Hey friends! It’s been a while. I hope that everyone is safe and doing well as we are going through this pandemic. If you or your family have been effected, I pray for your healing and comfort during this time. At this point if we have not lost someone personally, we know someone that has, and that is the scariest part of this whole situation. For this reason, I urge you to do your part and maintain social distance and only leave the house for essential items.
Here in New York, we have just completed three weeks of social distancing. Only essential workers are allowed to go to work. Life in New York as we knew it does not exist at the moment (rightfully so), many of our friends and family are on the frontlines taking care of COVID-19 patients, and essential workers are out there also putting themselves at risk so that we can have the comforts that we are used to at this time. Working for a big healthcare institution and also having friends on the frontlines taught me just how serious this pandemic is. I won’t say anything more because we all read or watch the news, but I pray that this all ends sooner than later. I’d also like to shout out my healthcare hero friends, if you’re reading this, yes it’s for you!
With all of that said, how are YOU doing? We are all adjusting to an unprecedented time. A part of me felt that New York was untouchable. When I heard of the virus I thought to myself, “Oh, we’re from New York, they will contain that right away.” Unfortunately, I was so wrong and we have the most cases in the country. I spent time worrying for everyone in my life, and also for my upcoming wedding and all of the pre-wedding events. This is definitely not how I pictured the year of our wedding. I am a worrier by nature and I cannot even focus on another thing if I’m worried about something else.
HOWEVER, I’ve come to terms with everything. We are blessed. We have a warm place to live, a comfortable bed, running water, indoor toilets, unlimited food, and a plethora of entertainment options. Compared to many people around the world, we are quarantined somewhere safe and comfortable. I’m not saying to stop being sad, this is a collectively traumatic experience and that is completely fine. I’m just offering some perspective. Regarding my wedding, I’m completely fine about rescheduling if it comes to that. I just pray that everyone remains healthy, as that is the most important thing to me.
Those that know me know that I love to be out and about, and to hop on an airplane to get away whenever I can – but here I am at home trying to figure out how to occupy my time. I miss restaurants, wine bars, jazz clubs, and a million other things. This time definitely taught me that they are all things to be grateful for. I cannot wait to support those businesses when this is past us. During the last three weeks, I’ve been reading, working out, watching Netflix, working on my skin and hair care, and drinking copious amounts of wine to pass the time. Houseparty and Zoom are wonderful ways to stay in contact with friends, I’ve already had a couple of “happy hours” on those apps.
Reach out to me and let me know what you’re doing to stay busy, I’d love suggestions. I’ll be writing more about what I’m doing to stay busy, and also catching up with the travel and restaurant reviews I’ve been meaning to write. I hope that everyone is doing well and staying safe. Love, Mandy.