A year later

Last March 11, a Wednesday, we received a phone call saying school would be closed the next day, and until further notice. They missed those two days, then two more weeks before online school began. I began teleworking that following Tuesday, and have only returned to the office a handful of time this year. The kids have chosen to stay with distance learning, even when offered the option to go back two days a week starting a few weeks ago. Tod is the only one who has mostly gotten back to normal, going to the office every day. But even that isn't completely back, since they've got everyone spaced out for safety. 

It is still astonishing to me what's happened in the last year. I never would have imagined people wearing masks everywhere they go, here in America. (An aside: It's do disappointing and infuriating that because of politics, some people have refused to take such a small action.) The year has felt like a total blur, unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's hard to know what day it even is - the new term "Blursday" totally fits. 

Some good things have come out of it - lots more time with the kids, I'm walking about 4 miles a day, we're not running off to in-person meetings or volunteer activities - but so much has been lost. This should have been Reed's time to grow and shine in his senior year. Amy should have been spending lots of time with her pals at theater (thankfully, that's started to come back a little bit, with in-person rehearsals that started a month ago with very small groups). They haven't really been able to socialize much, and school is definitely not up to par in a virtual format. 

Because of where I work, I was able to get the vaccine, which was a real relief but hasn't changed much about my behavior - still wearing masks, still not really going many places beyond the grocery store. Tod is on the waiting list due to his weight (hey, one time when being on the heavy side actually gets you something positive - that's never happened before!). They're starting to chug through people now and hopefully he gets the call soon. Reed is on the waiting list but it'll probably be a bit longer before they get to healthy young people - I really hope he can get it before he leaves for college! They're working through age regressions in testing the vaccine, so hopefully it won't be all that long before she's able to get it too.

I'm trying to be hopeful that sometime this summer things will be semi-normal, but mostly I'm hoping that the next school year will be as close to normal as we can get. We've all sacrificed and lost so much - even our family, who has been beyond fortunate in this whole mess - I can't wait for it to get better.

At some point we started thinking...hey, they don't want county employees to come back in the office any time soon...and we realized I might retire without ever returning to the office. And that's the way it's going to happen, since I'm going to retire on April 23. Just wild.

The whole world has gone through such trauma, with so many lives lost - more than 500,000 Americans. It is unfathomable and a tragedy of a proportion that's difficult to understand. I'm so grateful that we've come out so well so far, and so sad for all the families who've lost loved ones and suffered financially.

P.S. There was another bit of good news for Reed...he was accepted to JMU! It's wonderful to have a second option. Still waiting to hear from GWU, and for a final answer from VA Tech and UVA.

P.P.S. Other good news is that I recently finished my five radiation sessions, and it was completely uneventful! Now I will take Tamoxifen, a medication to prevent recurrence, for five years, but the treatment part is all done.