Jeanne made this mask for me. It's professionally done and even has a filter in it. Lovely colors that fit me, with a little bit of a forest motif. It will be the one I wear when I go "out." I'm grateful.
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Home alone ~ Piece of cake thought I when the mandate was announced. After all, I'm home alone most of the time as it is.
I like to be by myself, but what a difference it makes when you can't mix it up with being among your friends.
Or other human beings -- people you don't know.
People you know a little, say hello to, chat with for a while.
People in the grocery store. People at the bank. Your doctor, dentist, vet, and the staff at all these places. People that are a part of your life.
We are all a part of each other. I don't know how to phrase this, so I will quote John Donne, When the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.
I more fully understand this now.
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I have never been a fan of shopping. Browsing bookstores, when there was such a thing, I enjoyed. As well as the occasional antique or thrift store. Now, I miss shopping for groceries most of all.
I have some secrets when it comes to shopping. If someone were to go shopping for me, I couldn't ask them to go to my special store, the only place to find my special chocolates. My one weakness, my diabetes team knows, they are OK with it, since I'm doing well.
I can order online and pick up at Walmart, but they only have about half of what I need in groceries.
How do I find the special baby carrots the dogs like?
Why aren't there any Alpo treats online? The only inexpensive treats Samson can tolerate. Tractor Supply has them, but I'm not supposed to go there.
I miss my Icelandic yogurts. Jeanne told me Albertsons, where these wonderful yogurts can be found, has an app you can place your order on and then pick up at the store by appointment. I may try it later.
For now, I have ordered several things from Amazon. They are coming separately, mixed together. Yesterday my first package arrived. I didn't order through their pantry, so it will be just like Christmas when all the rest arrives. I can't remember most of what I ordered now.
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Then I found myself waiting for the phone to ring. Well, mine doesn't ring, of course, it plays a pretty melody.
I caught myself feeling like the teenager I once was, waiting for a call from someone I had a crush on. Anxiously waiting since there were no answering machines back then, no record of who had called, nothing. If you didn't get to the phone in time, you were out of luck.
Then you'd run into the guy somewhere and he'd say, "I called you, but no one answered. I called twice."
After catching myself waiting for the phone to ring, for a friend to call, I smiled.
Phones work both ways, after all.
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I didn't plan to write this post. But I know one thing, when I feel a bit down, this old Swedish proverb proves to be true for me:
Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.
Thanks for listening, have a wonderful rest of the day.
