I think everyone can agree that this has been a strange, scary, turbulent year so far. My husband was hospitalized the first week of January for an unknown lung illness, which we discovered a couple of months later was Coronavirus. He had just gone back to work and was feeling more normal when Covid-19 hit and shut down the country.

Not only were we frightened about contracting the virus again, but the hours at his job were severely cut. My antique business was shut down. April, and most of May and this month have been spent in near-isolation. It’s sad when a grocery store outing becomes an exciting event in your life.

Although I have mixed feelings about the quarantine, I know that it was necessary. There was very little known about the virus and the top docs still don’t know a lot. Who knows when we’ll get a vaccine. People were dying. They still are. Remembering my husband in that hospital bed on oxygen, not knowing what was going on, was terrifying. And if I wasn’t able to be near him and help him, I’d have gone crazy. So I sincerely feel for everyone who’s lives have been touched, taken and changed for good because of this terrible virus. I pray every day and hope that things improve.

I know there are also mixed feelings about reopening the economy and everyday life. People need to work and pay their bills and take care of their families, but they also need to stay safe and healthy. This is a situation where no matter which route you choose, someone loses and suffers.

There are many words and terms that the media has used during this crisis that if I never heard again, I’d be happy. Covid, self-quarantine, social distancing, the new normal are a few, but the term that really bothers me is essential workers. Think about it. I’m sure many would argue that there’s nothing wrong with using the word “essential.” I agree. We are all grateful for the health personnel, grocery store workers, postal workers and everyone the government deemed essential. They have kept so much of our lives normal and provided invaluable services. I am thankful.

But how about everyone else? How do you think it feels for all the workers and business owners who were shut down because they weren’t “essential?” Because they aren’t essential means they couldn’t work, couldn’t open their restaurant or shop and couldn’t pay their bills or provide for their families. I’m sure most are still struggling if they aren’t already out of business. This is me being the HSP (highly sensitive person) and INFJ I am. I care about everyone. I feel everyone’s pain and stress. 

Do you consider yourself essential? Does it hurt when our government officials tell us we’re not? I know this is a pandemic, and I know our leaders have been struggling their way through something they haven’t before. We’re all just trying to do our best, thrive the best we can and survive. But my side note is: No matter who you are and what you do, you are essential. Thank you for being you. 🙂 –I believe goodness, hope and positive energy go a long way in a bleak, scary, depressing world. 

Brian (my husband) is in property maintenance and deemed essential, though he wasn’t allowed to do service calls in homes which cut his hours back hard. And my antique shop was, of course, shut down, because people needed food and toilet paper, not vintage radios and vinyl.

I guess I’ve been trying to make sense of the first half of this year. Everyone has a different story, some worse than others. For the most part, I’ve been blessed. We’ve been able to pay our bills, and we’ve been following the guidelines to avoid contracting the virus again. My business reopened in early June.

So here we are at the end of June, and there are more scary, negative, horrible problems facing our world.

Bigger problems that a vaccine won’t help.

Until next time, stay safe and healthy.