Today is a heavy post day. Sorry in advance, but it’s been a long time coming honestly.
Mom and I were eating dinner last night (my uncle ate and left, with scarcely a “thank you for the food” offered), and we both realized at the same time that she’d been in isolation for over a year now. It wasn’t what we were talking about – I was attempting to convince her to give 9-1-1 a chance, but that’s not happening any time soon – when it hit her.
One year, with her only direct contact being me and my uncle.
It got me thinking. Just how much has changed in a year. Not outside in the “real world,” but here, within these walls of this apartment. What was different.
Well, for one thing, I’m still jobless. There’s a reason that Mom has stayed completely isolated, even though the vaccine rollout has started (she’s like right under three of the perimeters, so hopefully the next round in Ventura, she’ll be able to get it). When I left my job in April, it was because I feared for her safety. Even now, I’m looking for a full time, at home job, so that I don’t risk hurting her.
As it is, I only enter stores twice a month. Once to get the groceries that for some reason aren’t offered for drive up pick up, because of course there are some things. The other time is to get a certain item that Mom needs (being vague for her privacy), that cannot be delivered. When I get home from those trips, everything is immediately wiped down with disinfecting wipes and put away, and then I hop right in the shower, with my clothes in the laundry. While I’m doing this, Mom is in another room, isolating, just in case.
Another thing that’s changed is that we’re talking more. Now, it’s been Mom and I VS the World since I was twelve, but I’ll be the first to admit that our relationship wasn’t always the best. We didn’t have fights or whatnot, but I wouldn’t be lying if I said that I didn’t tell her everything. Now? I swear she knows me more than I know myself. We have lunch and dinner together, we watch movies and shows together, and heck, she’s planning on joining me on a stream one of these days, once I figure out my “second monitor” issue.
Something I never expected is that, because I don’t have a job, I’ve been learning to cook. I’ve never been very confident in cooking, or inspired to do it. It was a trade off, that I cook at least five times during the week. It’s been honestly pretty good. I’m still just going basic meals, but it’s been really educational for me.
For me, I’ve noticed I’ve changed the type of media I consume, and how I engage in it. I gone from being a fan of many things to just a select few fandoms. I was never a real fan of binge watching, but lately I’ve watched a few series in just a matter of days. I’ve also stepped away from one of the biggest fandom I was involved in, which I never really expected to do.
To my surprise, last year was one of my worst reading years. I just couldn’t get into most anything I had bought in preparation. Instead I reread some books, and just finished up some my outstanding collections. In fact, several of the books that I was actually excited to read, I ended up not being a fan.
Another thing that’s happened is that I’ve returned to several activities that I just have been missing for some time. I actually picked up some Lego kits for the first time in a long time. They are these Lego Marvel Mech Armor sets, six of them to be exact. They only took about 45 or so minutes to put together, but it was fun to go back in time and build like I used to, instead of just playing Lego games for my entire existence. (Which reminds me, I need to get back on that. I have so many left to play…).
The other thing I returned to is writing! I’ve wanted to get back into writing for the last several years, but this year has been especially successful. Heck, in February, I wrote 23 stories in 23 days. Day 24 may have been fighting me, but I hope to get it posted onto AO3 by the end of the day. Heck, I’ve even been working on one of my original ideas, which I haven’t touched since before we moved!
To be totally honest, the only real thing I’ve really really missed during this year is being with my cousins, who are the only reason we chose to move to this specific town in California. We’ve seen them from afar, and dropped off gifts, but I miss hugs from them.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg of what what my family has experienced. We’ve been so lucky that we have the ability to stay together in a safe location. There are so many people that have been effected by COVID, and my heart goes out to each and every person that has been effected in some way.
I’m ecstatic that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even though it will be a long time before things are back to what passes as normal. I just know that I’m with my family, I’m safe, and I’m going to keep my head held high. It’s the only real way we’re gonna get through this.
Until next time!
