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Pandemic

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Isn’t it funny that suddenly it’s normal to have a curfew as an adult? I never thought I would have that until maybe the day I move into a retirement home – way, way, way down the line.

Life imposes things on you that you can’t control, but you still have the choice of how you’re going to live through this.

Celine Dion

I also never thought that my vocabulary would include words such as social distancing, global pandemic, COVID-19, contact tracing, community spread, herd immunity, epidemic curve, flattening the curve or lockdown. I could never have imagined a life without seeing people smile.

I could never have imagined that my world would shrink to my apartment with my husband by my side 24/7. I could never have imagined being cut off from family that lived across provincial borders and waiting for a hastily-made vaccination to give me access to the rest of the world again – as after all, we just got both their passports sorted when this all started.

One day at a time.

I could never have imagined that my kids would have had to go to school with masks or that I would be sitting and making mask at a sewing machine my mom bought in the early 90s.

When this is all over I am scrubbing my vocabulary from the words that have kept us apart for more than a year – because these words should never have been part of my vocabulary.

One day this will be over and we will be grateful for life in ways we never felt possible before.

Matt Haig

I’ve been avoiding enclosed malls since COVID hit in March last year – but today I ventured out…

Last year March I was at Hobby-X, I was working. Geek Media (that’s me) was live posting to Hobby-X’s accounts while chatting to exhibitors. I was aware of the virus that already had a foothold in China, US and Europe… I still remember saying to my husband that I hope someone hasn’t brought it over yet. The first case was announced on day 2 or 3 of the expo.
That was the last time I saw a lot of people in one enclosed space. I’ve avoided my usual mall-walking window-shopping excursions since.

Today I ventured out to Fourways Mall. It was eerily devoid of people. Starbucks wasn’t crammed to the brim as it always was. There wasn’t people walking on top of you or browsing through the clothing rails right next to you.
This is not how I remember shopping at Fourways was…

I made a point of greeting every worker today as I walked through Edgars, Woolworths, Miladys and Foschini. Everyone was trying to keep busy arranging clothes and cleaning – super eager to help and share more about the special deals available.

This is what it has come to, me not running through a shop and ignoring people or firmly telling them I don’t need help or I’m just browsing. It has come to where I stop to talk to people, asking random strangers how they are doing. I don’t want to be that person that makes the day worse in an already shitty situation.

I may not venture into a mall soon again, but I hope that when I eventually do return, they (the people) will all still there.