A Quick Hello in the New Year
I’ve been on a two month blog sabbatical. I didn’t plan to do that.
The November winter blues, worry about the health of a loved one, the holidays, and the strong pull of the sketchbook share part of the blame. A good deal of my energy has shifted to a review of 2023 and goals for 2024. And brewing in the back of my brain are a couple of essays that will be difficult to execute but which I hope to post soon.
In the interim, by way of wishing you happy new year, a short post to at least let you know I’m still alive and kicking.
Like so many of you, I’m recovering from a case of COVID caught during the hubbub of holiday celebrations. I do feel for those of you hit hard by it. My case was even milder than my first go around. I don’t know if that owes to waiting for the updated vaccine to arrive in October or just dumb luck.
According to ABC news:
For the week ending Dec. 9…there were 1,614 deaths from COVID [in the U.S.], according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The last four weeks of complete data show an average of 1,488 weekly deaths.
That is a far cry from 2020’s weekly tolls, but still…
I, like many others, had become lax about safety protocols.
I wouldn’t have worn a mask at the family gatherings, but I shouldn’t have stopped wearing one in the crowded grocery store lines.
I’m washing my hands for the FULL 20 seconds again; I promise to keep it up for others and myself. The way this virus mutates, my recent bout can’t be counted upon to provide much immunity.
As you may know, we are a split household here. Other than NPR’s short headlines brief in the morning, I abstain from the news. Hubby never gave it up, but after Russia invaded Ukraine, he upped his consumption.
For the most part, he partakes when I’m out of the room. Exceptions include stories about space exploration (exploitation?), the weather, and health news.
None-the-less, other news leaks in via promos on social media.
What’s leaked in of late has caused the kind of stress I gave up the news to avoid. Plastic in bottled water. Sigh.
Because of tummy troubles, I drink a great deal of distilled water that comes in plastic gallon jugs. But I also breathe it in via the humidifier in my CPAP machine. What’s happening in my lungs? Sigh.
This morning, Hubby played a YouTube video of a comedian I generally like. The comedian's remarks and the news story involved were both so distasteful I gave Hubby, “the look.” He smirked in apology while pressing stop on the video.
As I work on my goal setting for 2024, self-care around the news and events in the world and close-to-home will be on my mind.
What self-care steps are you taking? Any suggestions for me in that regard or other things to consider for 2024?
Happy New Year to you!
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PHOTO CREDITS:
Deary winter photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash
2024 image by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash
Mushrooms photo by Justinian Herzog (@a2photopunk)
