It has been a year since I last posted, and two years since I last posted regularly. And you know what? I almost feel guilty saying it, but I haven’t had a bad pandemic. People have lost their jobs, the world went/is going through a global crisis, Russia invaded Ukraine … but in my middle-class white-collar life? It’s been okay. And … it’s a bit surreal, but it’s actually been okay. I’m not saying this to brag. I know the world is different now. I acknowledge that I live a relatively privileged bubbled life. But this is my truth, and my truth isn’t all that bad, nor is it all that unique. And I can’t help feeling a bit guilty about that even though I know I’ve done nothing wrong.
I’m just saying that for a fairly large segment of the US population, of which I belong, there were challenges and strifes, but … at the end of the day, they were manageable. I didn’t lose my job; I was able to get a higher paying job. I didn’t lose shelter; I was able to live and work pretty comfortably in my place. I didn’t lose any family members; I gained a few—a cat (see photo below) and a niece. In fact, although I’ve had a few friends and multiple co-workers who got COVID, none of my family members or I have ever tested positive. Despite the travel advisories, I’ve traveled internationally twice and domestically multiple times. I don’t know what it is. It just is what it is.
So yes, life is different in March 2023 than it was March 2021, when shit hit the fan and what I thought would be one or two weeks of work from home became something so much different. But I’m also not going to pass value judgements on how much worse the world is now, because I don’t think that serves any purpose. The world is different, and the world is always going to be different from one day to the next, from one crisis to the next. And it’s cliché how often people say it, but we are getting to a “new normal.” It is what it is. It’s not right, it’s not wrong, it just is. And goodness knows I know that sounds pretentious as heck, but that’s how I approach it, how I stay sane. Nothing I say or do will change that larger picture. But at the same time, I’m not going to tell anyone to “get over it,” because people have had real challenges that need to be acknowledged. Just don’t worry about me. Because even if it seems like I’ve fallen off the face of this earth, chances are, I’ll be okay.
NOTE: For anyone wondering, I was able to find a new home for Earl where he has a companion cat to help him socialize, and he has been doing well. My new cat (who I adopted in June) is an older cat who is used to being an only cat, is lazy as heck, sheds like heck, and coughs up hairballs like heck, but who I adore.
from here to (there) 