It has been a year of holding on; of hoping, wishing and praying that Coronavirus would call it a day and just – stop. Yeah, just stop. There is no eloquent way to state just how tired I am of the global mess it has created and frankly, I am weary as I take another shallow breath behind my seasonally themed mask. COVID has taken its toll in so many ways. It has robbed us of our feelings of health, security and safety; it has shaken families, taken lives and livelihoods and now it is trying to take the bright light of the holiday season down its dark tunnel too. You are a mean one MR. COVID…you really are a grinch…
I don’t care about ribbons, I don’t care about bows, and the absence of presents is the least of my woes… At the very top of my COVID grinch list is the social isolation it has created. In a world where we are wired for connection, our very survival may depend upon separation. That truly sucks.
COVID GRINCH LIST
- No hugs, fist bumps or high fives.
- No social gatherings – none – not any – zero.
- No running amok in the supermarket aisles.
- No shortage of line ups everywhere you go.
- No annual school Xmas concerts for grandparents to relive the glory days…
- No sharing of smiles in public (unless cloaked behind a mask).
- No close proximity to other humans who are not in your household.
- Did I mention….no hugs? I do miss hugs.
For those of us who live alone, especially those of us who self-identify as huggers, the absence of physical contact with other humans can be heart breaking. Every now and then I find myself reaching out to fist bump or high five someone and I shamefully retract the offer. Dammit COVID! Why do you have to be so harsh?
Thankfully, I am a person who has no shortage of creative outlets to channel my isolation blues. And, thankfully, I have come to a place in my life where I feel at peace about being alone in a world that places much importance on romantic love and coupling up. Yup, COVID has definitely taken the dating world to all new lows… Get out of the house and join a club they say…nope. And have you even tried flirting in a supermarket lately? Yeah…no. Shopping is not quite the enjoyable outlet it once used to be. (Another one to add to the Grinch list.) And let’s face it – dating venues are rather limited to a walk in nature or shivering on a socially distanced patio sipping a hot beverage. No, COVID has given us cause for a dating pause – a time out of time for sure. For now, I take solace in my art and seeking out sappy Netflix romcoms when I need a “fix”.
But come on COVID! Christmas is a whole other story. As if 2020 has not been challenging enough already. At a time when the heart strings are already pulled taut, the absence of gathering around the good old roast beast with friends and family is a stretch that threatens to snap them. And I do not disagree with the public health order. No. We need to flatten the curve and unfortunately, until the vaccination has been fully rolled out, this is how we do it. But it still sucks. And it is not natural. And I do not like it…nope.
It is hard to believe that is has been almost a year since Coronavirus was declared a global concern. It is such a surreal event and understandable that people are having a hard time accepting that the best way to stop this thing in its tracks it to break the chain by staying home. We have so many privileges that we confuse for rights. This is not the time for travel, not the time to rock the night away with a group of friends and not the time for planning family reunions around the Christmas tree. While I am truly mourning physical connection, I am also aware that this holiday season is asking us to be creative and collective as we find new ways to celebrate and stay safe. British Columbia is in social gathering lockdown until midnight, January 8, 2020, and hopefully we will have all done such a good job of staying home for the holidays that 2021 brings us much joy and peace in abundance. COVID has been a marathon of change but I am hopeful that the finish line is within reach and we can soon hug again. My post Covid plans are simple; gather often with loved ones and be eternally thankful for the time we have together on this crazy rock called earth. Peace and blessings to you and your loves…
Mr Grinch
You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch
You really are a heel,
You’re as cuddly as a cactus, you’re as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch,
You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel!
You’re a monster, Mr. Grinch,
Your heart’s an empty hole,
Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch,
I wouldn’t touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!
You’re a vile one, Mr. Grinch,
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch,
Given a choice between the two of you I’d take the seasick crocodile!
You’re a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You’re a nasty wasty skunk,
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch,
The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote,
“Stink, stank, stunk”
You’re a rotter, Mr. Grinch,
You’re the king of sinful sots,
Your heart’s a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch,
Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful
assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled up knots!
You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch,
With a nauseous super naus,
You’re a crooked jerky jockey and you drive a crooked horse, Mr. Grinch,
You’re a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce!
~ Dr. Suess
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