Tag: COVID vaccine

Cat’s in the Cradle

Would Baby Boomers have been the involved parents without Harry Chapin guilting us? When Mike hesitated to invest time with the kids, “cat’s in the cradle” became my mantra. Everyone knew what it meant. Even if it didn’t prompt him to act, it prompted him to think.

No, really, the last 12 months have been interesting, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’ve learned a couple of things:

. . . most importantly, after spending just about every moment of every day of the past 12 months with my five children, I’ve learned I no longer fear that Harry Chapin song, “Cat’s in the Cradle”:

“When you comin’ home, dad?”
“I don’t know when
But we’ll get together then
You know you’ll have a good time then.”

Jim Gaffigan
Peace

So close

We are so close. I envision an open door framing a bright light a short distance away. The door leads to social mixing, hugs with family and friends, a release from crowd-induced anxiety. Between the door and me stands the second vaccine and the two week waiting period.  

Back to school

Our second vaccine is scheduled for next week which also happens to be the boys’ spring break. Following the break, both boys will return to school in the classroom.

Except for a brief interval when we all tested positive for COVID, Blue Boy has been attending school throughout the year while Mowgli has been home. And it is not going well. Mowgli needs social interaction and physical activity.

Where’s Mowgli?

Because Mowgli spends the day upstairs, Mike and I are aware of his presence only when he descends to the kitchen to stock his cache of fruit. Occasionally he sweet talks his Grandpa into taking him out to pick up a sandwich for lunch. Otherwise, his presence is marked by isolation-fed teenage moodiness which we taste at the dinner table.

Free of guilt

Would Baby Boomers have been the involved parents without Harry Chapin guilting us? When Mike hesitated to invest time with the kids, “cat’s in the cradle” became my mantra. Everyone knew what it meant. Even if it didn’t prompt him to act, it prompted him to think.

I laughed aloud when Jim Gaffigan offered his observations on CBS Sunday Morning. All of us have spent more than enough time together. All of us are ready for some distance.

When we get together, you know we’ll have a good time then.

So close

And so I am as cautious as or more so than I have been this past year. I want nothing to jeopardize my second dose. Although we feel that our lives have been on hold during the pandemic, our bodies did not get the memo and continued to age. Another year older, new ailments. And the loss of some traveling companions. We are so close.

Moses, you were so close.

It’s 5:00 somewhere

The clock showed 5:00. No, not time for a drink. In the 1970s, alcohol was too expensive for us to justify channeling money from family needs. I was anticipating relief from the doldrums of being home all day with two young children. Where was Mike?

The most taxing time of those days was 4:00. Only an hour to go. So close. When Mike was out of town for work, I would pack the girls into the car for a trip to the mall where they could burn off energy and we could share a bite to eat before returning home for bath and bed. The change of scenery eased me through the late afternoon hump.

Relativity of time

Mike’s work had him traveling extensively when we lived in Germany. We tolerated the extended absences with good neighbors and a few American friends in the same boat plus plenty of unique experiences. Two days before his return, however, the relativity of time manifest. Each minute slowed up to his arrival.

40 years in the desert

Mike and I with most of our friends have had our first dose of the COVID vaccine and are close to the second. Although I remind myself to heed my mother’s warning against “wishing life away”, I long for post-pandemic experiences. I identify with poor Moses beholding the promised land. So close.

And he didn’t make it.

So close

And so I am as cautious as or more so than I have been this past year. I want nothing to jeopardize my second dose. Although we feel that our lives have been on hold during the pandemic, our bodies did not get the memo and continued to age. Another year older, new ailments. And the loss of some traveling companions. We are so close.

What time is it?

Survival skills

My daughter works with colleagues who, after months of Zoom meetings, continue to have difficulty connecting. She contends that there should be less discussion about teaching cursive to children and more about teaching technology to adults.

I had just posted a blog in which I bemoaned the delay in getting the COVID vaccine when messages arrived, informing me that I could register. I logged onto the state department of health site ASAP.

After a few minutes I found an appointment slot which I quickly claimed, then proceeded to schedule my husband. Alas, there were no slots for the day on which I had my appointment. What?! There had to be over 100 of them when I looked three minutes earlier. I grabbed another slot two days later. Both appointments are a month out.

Many texts, phone calls, and attempts later, I got us scheduled for the same day. Maybe. The website confirms one date; the confirmation e-mail a different one. We will go to both, if necessary.

Computer literate

I am fairly computer literate for my age, having used computer in work and in hobbies for many years. Early on, I relied heavily on my computer friends to save my drive from the sledgehammer. Now, occasionally, I instruct them in some software quirk.

Is it me or you?

Technology frustrations drain me. I lost almost an hour the other day trying to get onto a health insurance site, confirming ID and changing passwords until I threw out the white flag and called by phone, only to learn that there were problems with the website! Posting “It’s not you, it’s me” would have helped.

Today I wonder, what do the seniors do who can’t transverse these websites. Not everyone has a computer geek handy.

Survival

My daughter works with colleagues who, after months of Zoom meetings, continue to have difficulty connecting. She contends that there should be less discussion about teaching cursive to children and more about teaching technology to adults.

Technology is changing more rapidly than my mind can keep up. I plan to keep trying, though, just to survive.