2020 – a year like no other

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There are no other words to describe 2020 than a total shit show.

In February of 2020 I returned to Arizona from New York City with very little news or understanding of the virus. I will always remember a couple on the plane who sat in the two seats beside of me wiping down every inch of their surroundings with disinfectant wipes.  What?  I just thought they were germaphobes and didn’t think a thing about it.

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There wasn’t even enough information released at that point to understand that attending an event at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Phoenix on March 1, 2020 with a thousand plus people was not a good idea. (Looking back my husband was positive with covid at this event and didn’t know it.)  How ironic it was for longtime NPR host Diane Rehm to talk about her new book on death and dying titled “When My Time Comes.” Talk about dying…how little we knew that over 360,000 people in the USA and 1.5 million globally would be dead by the end of December.

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On March 13, 2020 nursing home facilities across the country went into lockdown, shutting the doors to their loved ones. At this point my world turned upside down and I spent day after day in Arizona advocating for my mom in a nursing home in Virginia. In August, my administrative assistant for a good portion of my corporate career, not to mention one incredible, intelligent, worldly and amazing friend, contacted the virus and died within two weeks. Who would’ve ever thought we’d see huge makeshift hospitals being built in our country or see refrigerated trailers turned into morgues. Who would’ve ever thought that people would say their goodbyes to their loved ones via a device, IF they were fortunate enough to do so.  Who would’ve ever thought we’d see images of loved ones touching the glass of a nursing home window or the ICU window to visit or unfortunately to say their goodbyes.  Who would’ve ever thought that funerals wouldn’t happen for months and in some cases they haven’t yet.  We saw racial unrest that was fueled by police shootings and an election that left our democracy shaken with so much division and hatred.

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Like so many others, 2020 was a year I never want to endure again. Between dealing with my mom’s lockdown (aka lack of care) and the loss of my dear friend…my hair fell out and stress took over my body in ways I would’ve never imagined. (I’ll talk in more detail about that in a future post.)

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But I do want to end with a little joy. One was taking a daily neighborhood or desert walk to get out of the house. Seeing families playing with their children in the street or in their driveway was something I hadn’t seen in ages. Another was striking our outside gong in the afternoons to coincide with the people in NYC as they banged on pots and pans out their windows to thank the healthcare workers for their relentless work. My heart broke for the people and it was my little way of connecting to my beloved city.  And finally I can’t say enough about the joy I experienced with the removal of the narcissist from the White House.

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