And here we are again. New Year's Eve 2021 and once again, not in a place we could have predicted. A year ago today, we finished the year with great optimism. The vaccine had been invented, we would all get our shots and life would return to some semblance of normal but, of course, it didn't work out that way. Our Covid numbers are at an all time high. Many of us have had our third vaccine shots and our provincial government announced yesterday that fourth shots will now be offered to some residents. We've been warned that even double-masking in public places would be insufficient to protect us from the Omicron strain of the virus that is ravishing the world. A few days ago, a kind friend, who is a doctor in another province, sent me a box of N95 masks with strict instructions to wear them at all times in public places. She is worried about me and I am grateful for her care.
Our Christmas gathering was small but at least we had a gathering this year. It still isn't safe to travel but we have a couple of days booked next month to stay in a small hotel out of the city where we will have a chance to walk around, and take drives through the beautiful countryside and view the sights from the safety of our car. It's not Europe but it will have to do. Perhaps it will renew my spirit which is flagging a bit at the present.
Yesterday, I watched the funeral of another friend, live-streamed from the funeral home. Another loss in a too long list of losses this year. In any year, this would have been too many losses to bear. In this one, it has been too many losses to bear without even the chance to find comfort in the rituals of grieving. Live-streamed funerals or no funerals at all. I would never have imagined that as the new normal though I suppose there is little in the world that seems normal to me now.
I start 2022 with no resolutions, no intentions, no plans. We will see how it unfolds, day by day. Tonight I'm going to drink prosecco, watch a movie and relax. The rest of life, I will try to figure out tomorrow. Happy New Year to you all.
