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SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)LonePirate
(13,424 posts)Cases and deaths are going to skyrocket.
Rorey
(8,445 posts)I'm going to be staying home unless the weather here is so nice that we do things outside, where we can also keep distance, of course.
One of my sons, who lives in Seattle, called last night and told me that he and his girlfriend were thinking about coming here in December. It doesn't sound like a good plan to me, and I told him they better wait and see what it's like. I'm hoping they see that it would be a very bad idea on their own, but if it comes down to it, I'll have to tell him it's not ok.
calimary
(81,283 posts)My husband has already declared that were gonna stay in, this holiday season. And by now, were in the family patriarch position along with our son-in-laws parents. Were the elders now. And for some of us, there are for-real health issues to be taken seriously - minor ones, at present. Fortunately, nothing critical, though.
And frankly, I agree!
Ive gotten used to Zooming and it serves QUITE well, especially when family is scattered over several states.
And we have another grandchild on the way. But Im STILL fine with it. Id rather be safe than sorry - on everyone elses behalf, as well as my own. Im kinda surprised at how easy a decision this was.
Rorey
(8,445 posts)Sometimes I kind of lose it a bit privately over that. My daughter-in-law said it would be okay, and that her mom finally held him, but I just don't think I want to take the chance. We're all mask wearers, but it seems kind of selfish of me to think I have to hold him.
I was thinking that I might drive out and see him and my four year old grandson through the window, or maybe on their back patio, if the weather is nice. It's hard to keep distance from a four year old. He's just so darned cute I can hardly stand it. I got the privilege of taking care of him when his mom went back to work when he was three months old, and we got some great bonding in. I mean, I held him almost all the time until he was big enough to want to crawl and such. Somebody asked me how I got anything done when I was holding him all the time. I answered that I WAS doing something. I was holding my grandson! He was my fourth grandchild, and I thought would be the last, so I threw all of the rules away and did what I wanted to do.
Being a grandma is really the best thing in the world. It really is.
calimary
(81,283 posts)But its a little bit different for me. My own weirdness.
I gave EVERYTHING up for my kids. Including a real anomaly in broadcasting: a secure job. I was at the AP by then. It was a REAL anomaly in that line of work. A secure job. NOBODY had that, elsewhere. NOBODY else offered that in the industry. Didnt matter who you were or how big you were or how powerful an agent you had. The capriciousness of broadcasting, change of ownership, new management, new program director, new format, ratings ups n downs, whatever. The new guy would bring in his pal who did morning drive in their last market and the long-established morning man could be flitched off like a piece of lint from the shoulder of a new suit.
And I saw that happen - with the morning jocks I worked with (including some big names), and more than once. Heck, there was one time when I was fired AFTER the ratings went UP! And I finally landed in a job wherein, once you made permanent, they couldnt fuck with you anymore. They could make you miserable in various ways so youd quit (at the AP it was referred to as being eaten by ants ). But they couldnt fire you. And I LOVED my job, my work, my career. LOVED it! Loved it ALL!
But eventually kids came along and my priorities changed and I gave ALL OF THAT up. To be a full time mom to my kids. Just gave it up. Knowing I couldnt get that secure job back once I formally gave it up. Eyes wide open. I loved my job, my work, my career, but I realized I loved them more.
Theyre grown up and gone now, moved out, self-realized and on their own, and having found their own way and place in the world, and they dont need me so much anymore, and thats how its supposed to be, seems to me. Their dad and I are back to being newlyweds again. We BOTH gave all. And now weve come full-circle and its about US again.
And I am LOVING it! LOVING the independence and the freedom and the fewer day-to-day obligations. I feel like I got my life back. And that I earned my way here, to this point. And theyre happy and finding their own satisfaction and achievements in their lives, independent of us. And thats how its supposed to go, isnt it?
I REALLY like having my own life back. Weve moved so were located geographically between both of our kids. Close enough to get to them soon if need be, but not so close that its like theyre each being needy of us or dependent on us again 24/7. I can do what I want, again. We both can. And Im liking it A LOT! I feel like Ive earned this. And I know they wouldnt want me hovering and smothering the way my mom did with me. I like that theyre gonna know their grandma was a pioneer in broadcasting, one of the first women in the industry to put points on the ol scoreboard, as it were. Made her mark. And proudly so. And that their grandparents were accomplished in their own right (son-in-laws elders, too).
I rather like NOT being needed, so I can go my own way again. Still with the most intense love for them, but a healthy sense of detachment and independence now. And NO regrets.
Rorey
(8,445 posts)I was thrilled to be able to be the primary care person for some of my grandchildren so they wouldn't be cared for by a stranger. But there were times it was demanding, and now I'm relieved that I can completely make my own schedule. Or not schedule anything at all.
I've always enjoyed my own company, so in that respect, the restrictions because of this pandemic haven't been that difficult for me. Last year I got a divorce, and after my ex-husband moved out, I realized I REALLY like living alone and I hope that never has to change. One of my sons repeatedly asked me to go live with him and his family, and I finally had to just get blunt and tell him it was never going to happen. I love them and they love me, and I want to keep it that way. At this moment, I can't imagine being more content with the way things are for me personally.
It's sounds like your life has been and is awesome, and you have the wisdom to appreciate it. I think life is a lot easier, and way more fulfilling, when you're a glass half full kind of person. I usually feel like my glass is way more than half full. I'm very fortunate, at least at this moment in time.
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,002 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,286 posts)end of the panic spectrum since the get-go, fwiw.
Boomer
(4,168 posts)Your comment reminds me of the disdain leveled at climate scientists who were on the "high end of the panic spectrum" -- as climate change escalated, it turned out the panic-mongers were too optimistic.
DeminPennswoods
(15,286 posts)to always project the worst case scenario.
Covid19 is a lot more hit and miss than one would think listening to the medical commentators on TV.
Here's a link where you can check real-time metrics for every county in the US: https://covidcast.cmu.edu/?sensor=fb-survey-smoothed_cli&level=county&date=20201015&signalType=value&encoding=color&mode=overview®ion=42007
hatrack
(59,587 posts)At about 28:00.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)It is going to be a bumpy ride.
SoonerPride
(12,286 posts)I say Nov 2nd
bucolic_frolic
(43,172 posts)flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)central scrutinizer
(11,649 posts)We didnt hit it hard and early and now every day we get deeper into the shit. But Drumpf doesnt care and probably relishes how well his scorched earth plan is working.
lpbk2713
(42,757 posts)What? Me worry?
Chainfire
(17,542 posts)People believe Trump, that the virus is just not a real problem.
Not over about half of the people wear masks in public, and 10% of them wear them under their damn noses. If the American people are just too damn dumb to protect themselves, we will get what we deserve.
calimary
(81,283 posts)(and wearing them the right way), keeping with the social distancing, limiting exposure and potential vulnerability, WE DONT deserve it.