From the Heart
Once upon a time … Chicken Little was right. The sky is falling … or so it seems.
On Thursday night, my girlfriends Joan Gamble, Linda Butler and I returned home from a Golden Girls trip to Florida. As we entered the Tampa Airport there was an eerie look and feel of emptiness inside. No waiting in long lines.
We slipped on our protective gloves, and when we got to our seats, Joan and Linda started sanitizing them and our trays like they were surgical room scrub nurses. We were served water in cans, with a straw. This was like no other flight I had taken on Southwest.
Actually, the plane was almost full. Lots of spring breakers returning home with us. We listened for coughs and sneezes. Thankfully, we heard none.
Throughout the five days we were in Tampa we seemed to get to each place just in time. We shopped the first day at the Outlet Mall. Most stores were closed and the others had limited hours. Soon all were closed until things get better.
On Tuesday, we went to the pool in my daughter’s neighborhood. It was spring break for the schools in Florida. We expected to see lots of kids. Nope, just a handful in this resort-sized pool. The next day it was closed until things get better.
I knew of a beach where there were no large resort hotels. It is one where mostly locals go. We found a fairly quiet place to sit and listen to the waves coming in. Everyone kept their distance, socially. The sound of the waves seems to be a balm to our anxiety. Now the beaches are closed until things get better.
We were trying to find a normal, living in a world in which we never imagined. Our anxiety followed us wherever we went. The overwhelming uncharted territory of what lies ahead wreaked havoc in our thoughts.
The three of us work together. Over the almost 16 years that I have worked at Don Hinds Ford we have become very close friends. We have laughed together, cried together and shared life.
Of course, we will always remember where we were and with whom when the pandemic arrived.
We have seen each other without having our makeup and hair done. THAT is a true sign of friendship for us.
This week we also tried to ease each other’s anxiety of what we would be coming home to deal with. Family. Work. Health. Finances.
Just to give you a bit of a chuckle, I will tell you what I did when I got home from the airport at 1 a.m. Friday morning. To ensure that I did not bring any cooties or coronavirus inside the house, I got to the back door inside our screened in porch and stripped naked. Yes, it was cold.
I took my clothes and dropped them in the washer and headed to the shower to rinse off any germs. Then I put on my pajamas and hugged my husband. I hugged him a little tighter as I knew we would be headed for a bit of emotional turbulence.
I will be home for at least the next couple of weeks. Our ages make us more at risk. Chuck also has a lung condition. We are taking no chances. According to the news, we are elderly and have underlying issues.
We have started a jigsaw puzzle. We have plenty of food. We have books to read. The house will get a good deep cleaning and organizing. Yoga videos will have us stretching.
We will take walks in the fresh air, waving at neighbors but keeping our distance. We will get through this.
I will be writing and sharing my thoughts along the way.
I want to see Chicken Little put back into the hen house and gagged.
Until (and after) things get better, you are all in my thoughts and prayers,
Janet
Please send ways in which you have seen kindness or have had kindness shown to you to janethartbaker@hotmail.com.