Last week was week 4 of staying home and it sucked.
A friend texted me one evening last week. She was upset because she’d learned that day that her firm was reducing her pay by 20% AND reducing her hours to 4 days a week. The very next morning, my firm announced that we were all taking a 15% pay cut. Since then, I’ve had friends texting daily lamenting pay cuts, lost hours and reduced benefits.
Both of my cats got sick which necessitated two separate visits to the vet. Under normal circumstances vet visits are unnerving for me. In this environment, it’s nearly panic inducing. I still haven’t been able to find disinfectant (wipes or otherwise), rubbing alcohol, or hand sanitizer so I can’t wipe down the rented car or sanitize my hands. No one is allowed inside the clinic so someone meets you at the door to pick up your pet. It hurt my heart to watch them walk away with them. I sat in the car and listened to the exam and talked to the the doc on the phone. They took payment over the phone and then met me at the door to return my cat. A weird experience compounded by the fact that all of the other people sitting the in full parking lot were doing the same thing.
A friend lost a family member to COVID last week, but he can’t mourn with those left behind. He mourns in isolation and my heart aches for him.
On the petty side, the face masks are causing acne around my mouth. I’m gaining weight and my hair is ragged. And now EVERYBODY wants to have video calls. I’m having a hard enough time facing myself in the mirror, I don’t really want to be seen by others.
I’m telling myself every day “Everything thing will be okay.”
Cheers,
Bec