It’s been a long 15 months since the first orders came down to shelter in place. Each of us dealt with our own worries and faced new challenges. But now it’s time to bring some normalcy back into our lives. What better time than summer to revel in our renewed freedom? So I asked our lanterns to share what was the hardest thing for them about the pandemic, how they will celebrate the lifting of restrictions, and what they plan to do that they haven’t been able over the past many months.
Rebecca D’Harligue shares her thoughts: “The hardest thing for me, especially at the beginning, was the uncertainty about how bad it was going to get. My husband and daughter are both physicians, and I was especially worried for them. I’ve already begun celebrating! My husband and I went to Disneyland with my daughter, son-in-law, and our two grandchildren. Disney kept the crowd down to 35% of capacity. Everyone at the park was masked, and they did a pretty good job at social distancing. Our family loves Disneyland, so it felt like a bit of a return to normal, even with the restrictions. My husband and I are huge movie theater goers. We would go to see movies even if we knew they weren’t going to be great, because we just love that outing (usually combined with lunch or dinner out). Sure, you can watch movies on television, and we do, but we love the big screen, experiencing the movie with others. The snacks are great, too!”
For Edie Cay the hardest thing during the pandemic was the dual demand of working extra hours (healthcare) and having no childcare to boot. “Our family compensated by working 7 days a week, trading off childcare between me and my husband. I know our family wasn’t alone in doing some strange scheduling to make things work, and in some ways I feel like we were “lucky”–even though we were frontline workers and taking higher risks than others. Now that vaccinations are climbing and the caseload is falling, we want to take our little guy to a water park! The hot days here in California are perfect for it. For me, I want a massage. A looooooooong one. And maybe some breaks for wine. But mostly a massage.”
Linda Ulleseit is filling up her calendar for 2021. “Since I’m retired and my children are grown, I didn’t have the work/school impact on my life during the pandemic that many others did. I like staying at home, usually writing, cooking, or gardening, so the lockdown didn’t bother me. The two areas that were affected for me were travel and family. BP, or Before Pandemic, my husband and I went to Europe for the first time. Travel during retirement is something we’ve looked forward to for years. We missed out on trips to Arizona, Colorado, and Hawaii during 2020. Two family weddings were canceled last year, and we were unable to visit my son in Portland. So far in 2021, we have five visits planned!”
Ana Brazil missed the simple things. “Like many others, being cut off from my friends and family really lowered my spirits. And I didn’t just miss people I loved and knew, but I missed people I didn’t know. I missed being friendly and respectful to strangers, like people at the grocery store or those I pass on my walks. I really missed being able to reinforce that we are all human together. Because that’s something I like to do. My husband and I started celebrating last month with an inside restaurant dinner. We’d love to plan to get away, but need to stay close to home to support our elderly dog.”
Lynn Downey says, “The most difficult part of the pandemic for me was the isolation, as I live alone. However, my four cats were entertaining enough to keep me from going completely stir crazy. The only “celebration” I plan to do as restrictions are lifted is to reconnect with people, which I’ve been doing in a small way already. And I finally got to visit the one place I missed the most during the entire pandemic: the public library!”
For C.V. Lee the hardest thing was having her elderly father in isolation away from his family. “My father is 94-years-old and in assisted living. I had planned a trip last Easter to see him, but cancelled the trip since no one was allowed into the facility. Early in the pandemic, we had long telephone conversations, but in recent months its been harder and harder to converse as his hearing isn’t good. I’ve taken a few trips up to see him (he can come out on his balcony to see me), but nothing substantial. Now that he can receive visitors, I’m planning a trip to see him in person. Unfortunately that trip to England for research, that I’m desperate to take, will have to wait until next year.”
Mari Christie found good and bad in the months of shelter-in-place. “I am an extreme introvert, so in many ways, my life didn’t change, and a lot of the changes were rather positive. (More things delivered! Zoom/Facetime/Teams from my living room! People stopped hugging without warning! Yay!) The hardest thing was having to go through a lot of serious health problems within my family, without the ability to be there.
“My 50th birthday is coming up, and I am planning a real, live, in-person party, which seems completely surreal. I am looking forward to getting back to work in my office occasionally, rather than always working from home, and I am delighted I now have the option to do either.”
I think most women can relate to Kathryn Pritchett’s struggle. “I think one of the hardest things for me about the pandemic was adjusting to having my husband working from home. I love the man dearly, but I like to write in solitude and quiet—no coffee house life for me. Once SIP went into effect, he’s been working in the next room, often on protracted business calls which were sometimes quite heated. To cope, I bought some AirPods and found a piano play list on Spotify called “Intense Studying” that became the soundtrack of my pandemic.
“Now he has a set date to go back to work in July, and I’m feeling a little sad that it’ll just be me here writing alone again. But before we go our separate ways, we’re planning on spending a few days away from home, NOT WORKING together. I’m also looking forward to visiting extended family and having all our children together this summer. It’s been too long.”
Yes, we all can agree! This has all gone on too long. Embrace the freedom, whatever that means for you.
C.V. Lee writes historical biographical fiction featuring forgotten heroes and heroines of the past. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Alli, and a founding member of Paper Lantern Writers. You can find her on Facebook @cvlee.histficwriter and on Instagram @cvleewriter.
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