Today’s Denver Post claims, ‘endurance’ is the word of the day in their Sunday edition. It’s learning to live with the uncertainty of so many facets of our lives and coping with the situation the best we can. The warming weather is helping to boost my spirit as sunshine will and being able to go outside more, to enjoy gardening and seeing the vibrant flowers in bloom, and planting some vegetables for future harvest. The fresh air and sunshine create hope and Vitamin D. (Vitamins C, D and zinc are good for your immunity and fighting the Covid…good that I have been taking them for years daily).
Also, nostalgia and reminiscing seem to be commonplace for me these days. The special graduation television show last night brought back memories of my own graduation and my son’s special day. Also, it featured a President who knew how to speak, empathize and encourage! I even saw a neighbor in cap and gown celebrating with a small group. It’s so sad that this special time is so unceremonious and party-less and I empathize with the 2020 graduates who are missing out on that celebration. My niece is graduating from KU and some family planned to drive there to attend, and I remember attending her dad’s ceremony there and suspect he is missing watching his daughter process down that same grassy hill that he did. My grandson is only a couple of years away from graduating high school, and I wonder and worry about how those years will play out.
I was also listening to the weekly radio restaurant show in the car as I ran errands yesterday. Some callers were reminiscing about restaurants of past days that had closed. So many of my favorites closed before the pandemic and now how many more will have to do the same? One memory was of our huge Woolworth’s store downtown that took up most of an entire block and was the precursor to the Targets, Kmart’s’ and Walmart’s of today. Woolworth’s had about everything you could want, including lay away for the holidays, and the fabric/yarn department that I often frequented. I spent many a lunch hour in it shopping or grabbing a quick bite to eat. They had so many food choices from a cafeteria in the basement, to the lunch counters, and the pizza/hotdog stands. One of my favorites was the rows of candy in glass containers that you could buy by the ounce. One of my favorite candies is chocolate stars and I could just buy a small amount to snack on back then.
And across the street from Woolworth’s was a favorite little restaurant, the Yankee Dollar, that I dined at for years. Even before I worked downtown, when we took the bus downtown, we would dine there as you could eat a burger, fries and drink for under $1.50. The downtown area has changed so much that there aren’t many restaurants left that I would go downtown just to eat there. I also used to shop at many wonderful department stores (May D& F, J C Penney’s, Joslin’s, and the Denver Dry Goods stores) downtown and have many fond memories of them on Saturday teen outings as well as their holiday decorations. They are long gone!
Endurance through disappointments and other good things. Our governor is opening more businesses little by little but still trying to stay safe by staying in as much as I can and wearing my mask when out. I am still making masks for others as well. I am excited to have some personal appointments at last…so this week will be the dentist, and finally a massage and pedicure though my hair needs the most attention but salons are limited so unsure how soon that will happen. I also finally got my stimulus check too. One of my cats will visit the vet at the end of the month and we just celebrated her 16th birthday, but she is losing weight so I am a bit concerned.
For many months, I had been looking forward to seeing the musical Hamilton and finally had tickets for the second tour here in August with several friends, but now that has been postponed too. Weighing heavily on me is the fact that my grandson is still sick in Arizona; a 1-week spring break has turned into months now. He finally got tested last week but doesn’t know results yet. His mother is improving after testing positive for COVID, but wonder if that will continue since he had improved twice only to get sick again. And a friend’s husband is still battling the virus at home.
The Federal response has been less than positive and they are now more interested in making money than saving lives. This is a war, a battle against this little virus. If it were a military war, wouldn’t our soldiers be given protective gear? Would we leave it up to their individual battalions to find it for them? Why can’t our medical front line workers get what they need? It’s ludicrous! And as Bernie Sanders tweeted yesterday, “While wealthy people quarantine in the luxury of their summer homes, low-income workers are being forced to go back to work and put their lives on the line. This virus has grossly exposed the inequities of our economic system.”
At my age, I have to wonder if my final years will be spent alone at home. I am active and miss doing many things that I did just 10 weeks ago! Am I finishing the things I deem important to my legacy? Am I doing the writing I wanted to? Luckily, I just revised my will before all of this happened so that is in order. Those things weigh on me as I keep busy with crafts, meetings, watching television, keeping up with friends and family by phone meantime. Should I be spending my time cleaning and clearing out? Yes! I do a bit from time to time, but it seems less of a priority since I don’t have people coming to visit me. I don’t think anyone has been in my home but me since mid- March which is unusual for me as I like to entertain.
Helping Others! Also, I became involved with a group that is putting together items for senior facilities and I built a Facebook page for them and helping to get the word out. I saw some young men on TV today who are putting together backpacks with hand sanitizer and more for homeless people in NYC. Helping others is one way to take your mind off of your own worries and there are plenty of ways to give back. I hope you will find ways this week to become involved or donate to a worthy organization. Our page is Kind Deeds for Seniors in Need (money can be given to help provide meals for the staff at these centers). If you are local to Denver, you can contribute other items like DVD’s, books, personal products, yarn or hand made items like lap robes and slippers, writing materials, etc.
Endure and carry on!