Topic: OUR STORIES: Lest we Forget

[georgiapeach]

We are now entering our 8th month since the World Changed.


I think it is important that we all write our stories,  so that they are never forgotten.


When/if you have time and inclination, please share what this time has been like for you. Work/Family/Health whatever you want to say.


Life is still different. It will not go back to what we used to have in the foreseeable future. Vaccines ae still in our future, although hope is definitely dawning. I want our stories of this time saved.


If you have written one here already, copy/paste it and update us.


Love you all!! And hoping for health and happiness for you all.

[BourkieBoy]

I know all of youse probably won't agree with what I have to say in this post, so you are welcome to challenge me on this, but I think this just need to be said. I cannot hold it in any longer.

As you guys probably all know, I have been under a strict lockdown since July 2. That is over three and a half months. I understand why it was done (to limit the spread of the disease and to save lives), but before the Premier of the state (Governor), Dan Andrews decides to extend Victoria's restrictions again (until November 8 ), maybe he should put himself in some other people's shoes...

- Go spend a day in the emergency department and see the amount of mental health presentations, because of lockdown.

- Go spend a day on shift with the police & paramedics, attending the self-harm, suicide attempts and successful suicides, because of lockdown.

- See the effect on kids, kids who no longer know how to socialise with others, because of lockdown.

- Lose a small business that you have put your heart and soul into, because of lockdown.

- Be a child, who isn't lucky to have the privilege of a supportive and loving for 6 months, when school was considered their 'safe place', but they were unable to access this, because of lockdown.

- A grandparent, unable to meet, hold and spend limited time with a new grandchild, because of lockdown.

- An elderly person, in a care home, with your only human interaction being the workers that occasionally come into your room throughout the day, because of lockdown.

When will the Dan see that the people of Victoria are suffering? When will he see the other consequences that come with the cost of locking down the state? When it's too late, that's when.

I could have kept going with that list, but I think I have made my point. This isn't a sustainable way of living. No other state in Australia is doing this, so why are we?"

I was sent this in a message from one of my closest friends, who had lost his electrical apprenticeship as a consequence of this "Stage Four" lockdown. I immediately thought it was very powerful and I knew I had to share it. The lockdown is affecting many people, in so many different ways. All politicians are so out of touch of the struggles of being an ordinary taxpayer.

I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope I gave everyone just a little insight into what 5,078,193 people have suffered under for 3+ months (possibly longer). Remember, that it is perfectly acceptable to be not OK and to always reach for help when you need it, from friends, family & personal mental health services 

[Bookworm]

Bourkie, I'm there with you. During the course of the pandemic, I've lost a job, had three offers rescinded, and lost a scholarship opportunity- and my state is completely open (a questionable decision by the Governor). I've hardly seen anyone over the past six months, which led to a bottoming out of mental health last month and lashing out at people I cared about. I took a week to repair and reevaluate, prioritizing my needs, so please don't worry.

Feel free to blame whomever you want, but all the suffering- the loss of jobs, of opportunities, of life- was going to happen regardless of one state, of one country being open and the other closed. Being locked down is hard, being quarantined is hard, but it's certainly not as hard as seeing a loved one go from healthy to gone in the span of a day. I would love if all politicians had the perspective of the working person, and I can't comment on Australian politics (seems like less of a ****show that the States), but it's important to note that they aren't magicians with magic wands, either. Half of the tragedies you mentioned would've happened due to simple public health guidelines, nowhere near as encompassing as a lockdown. We're in a pandemic and it's been exceedingly difficult on most. I'd like to further than RFF for being an outlet for anxious, creative, and strategic energy over these past few months. It's good to be back

[georgiapeach]

I'd love to hear your updates/stories/joys and sadness here.

I'm on the move in the US southeast continuously.

Traveling by car and can have as much social distancing as I feel I need.

Still being cautious with contacts. Mask wearing as/when needed.

Fully vaccinated and boostered.

Have not convinced myself to get on a plane yet but have appropriate gear if needed.

With all this protection I haven't even had a cold since I flew back from the TAR 33 first start.

Where are you? What are you doing to stay safe? Or not doing?

Stories to tell?

[theschnauzers]

I continue to monitor what’s going on here in the state and the county and city, not just my immediate neighborhood and building. I do wear a mask if .I’m staying within the building, almost always for one of Edele’s daily outings to the pet area on a deck area on one of our floors, which is late evening or during the overnight before bedtime. When I’m taking her to the ground level for a walk outside in the few block radius, which is usually at around dusk, I don’t unless it’s cold enough to need to cover my face as much as possible. With the offices still delaying returns to offices, there’s very few people out, and the current CDC guidance remains masking in crowded indoor spaces. We’ve had a few instances where visitors are cautioned about a positive test somewhere on one of our floors, but we’re not told anything directly.
I‘ve stayed up to date on vaccinations as have many of my neighbors but it’s impossible to know for sure. And this time of year, with this being a snowier and colder (and windier) winter with lots of large swings in temperatures, wind chills, humidity and precipitation often in a matter of hours, weather is more of a threat than Covid-19 actually as you can go a week or more without seeing anyone outside the apartment. (On Saturday (night) and Sunday (early morning) around midnight it was 42F Seven hours later it was 11F with winds gusting overnight at 40 mph and well below zeroF wind chills.
So I’m basically doing what I’ve been doing since early in the pandemic two years ago.

[Neobie]

Things are calming down where I am, everyone (including the government) is mostly relieved that omicron isn't as bad as we feared, and are letting their guard down a little. Managed to sneak in two trips to Europe in between delta and omicron, enough to scratch that travel itch for a little while!

[Dom]

I relocated to France right as stuff kicked off in early 2020 and didn't manage to see my family and friends again until September 2021. The family business, in existence for over 70 years, went under in mid-2021, sadly due to the pandemic and the lack of support from the UK government.

That felt like a heck of a long time, being far away from everyone and unable to help, but I'm lucky enough to have managed to see my family a good amount in the last few months to make up for it. My son was born in March last year and very thankful that things are looking more positive going forward, and very much looking forward to travelling again!

[georgiapeach]

Welcome "home" Dom! It is a joy to see you here again!

And especial congrats to you and your wife on having a son! Blessings to you all!

[Leilani]

I know all of youse probably won't agree with what I have to say in this post, so you are welcome to challenge me on this, but I think this just need to be said. I cannot hold it in any longer.

As you guys probably all know, I have been under a strict lockdown since July 2. That is over three and a half months. I understand why it was done (to limit the spread of the disease and to save lives), but before the Premier of the state (Governor), Dan Andrews decides to extend Victoria's restrictions again (until November 8 ), maybe he should put himself in some other people's shoes...

- Go spend a day in the emergency department and see the amount of mental health presentations, because of lockdown.

- Go spend a day on shift with the police & paramedics, attending the self-harm, suicide attempts and successful suicides, because of lockdown.

- See the effect on kids, kids who no longer know how to socialise with others, because of lockdown.

- Lose a small business that you have put your heart and soul into, because of lockdown.

- Be a child, who isn't lucky to have the privilege of a supportive and loving for 6 months, when school was considered their 'safe place', but they were unable to access this, because of lockdown.

- A grandparent, unable to meet, hold and spend limited time with a new grandchild, because of lockdown.

- An elderly person, in a care home, with your only human interaction being the workers that occasionally come into your room throughout the day, because of lockdown.

When will the Dan see that the people of Victoria are suffering? When will he see the other consequences that come with the cost of locking down the state? When it's too late, that's when.

I could have kept going with that list, but I think I have made my point. This isn't a sustainable way of living. No other state in Australia is doing this, so why are we?"

I was sent this in a message from one of my closest friends, who had lost his electrical apprenticeship as a consequence of this "Stage Four" lockdown. I immediately thought it was very powerful and I knew I had to share it. The lockdown is affecting many people, in so many different ways. All politicians are so out of touch of the struggles of being an ordinary taxpayer.

I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope I gave everyone just a little insight into what 5,078,193 people have suffered under for 3+ months (possibly longer). Remember, that it is perfectly acceptable to be not OK and to always reach for help when you need it, from friends, family & personal mental health services 

I know your post is over a year old, but it's truer now than it was then.  I nearly lost my husband in a motor cycle accident a few months ago and the restrictions that the hospital put on visitation were awful.  They only allowed one person a day so my kids couldn't visit, his mother couldn't visit (which caused more grief for me) and his lieutenant and supervisor who wanted to support both of us couldn't visit.  It was just me.  I couldn't have someone go sit with him for a couple hours so I could take care of things at home or just take a few minutes to sit my car to cry.  As bad as that was, now we hear on the news that there is a little girl who is missing.  She was last seen 2 years ago.  I can't help but think that maybe if she had been in school when her "parents" (loosely defined as people who conceived her) misplaced her that it wouldn't have taken this long to figure out she was missing.

I was completely behind "two weeks to flatten the curve" because I thought it would help.  As soon as the extended it, I knew this was like what a trainer or physical therapist does.  They give you a small goal and then when you meet it they give you another telling you that you've already come so far what's a little more.  We have two camps in my town the "Live Free or Die" (state motto) and the "if it saves one life" camp. Meanwhile I sit here somewhere in the middle in the "you need to do what's best for you" camp.  My heart goes out to you all in Australia because I know as bad as it's been here it appears so much worse there.  I truly hope that things improve for you down there soon.

[georgiapeach]

Leilani...I am so sorry I missed this earlier.

 I am so sorry for all you are enduring and hope that things improve.

Everything about this sucks...but so does letting the disease spread unchecked. There are no easy answers or solutions. Letting people wander without masks and with no precautions (Florida for example) has caused huge increases in Covid spread. Clearly if people can follow testing, masking and are vaccinated they can safely visit loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes. There has to a balance.

Meanwhile I hope things are improving where you are.  Sending love.

[Leilani]

Thank you.  He's getting better, but it's going to be a long road.  I will say that I'm fortunate that I was able to be there to advocate for him.  Someone on my town FB just posted that she wasn't allowed in the hospital with her fiancé after a life threatening medical emergency.  I completely agree with you that there has to be a balance but for whatever reason we can't seem to find it.  I think the most bizarre thing about the hospital Covid protocols is that they didn't even test my husband and they never asked the screening questions.  They put in his chart that he had been exposed (presumably in the ER but who knows).  Of course they didn't tell us that they believed he had been exposed so we didn't find out until 6 weeks later when I was reviewing his medical records.  There were just so many things that they did that were contradictory and made no sense.

[Neobie]

That sounds like a horrible ordeal, sending much love and support virtually Leilani!

[georgiapeach]

Please keep us posted. And know we are here for you anytime you need to talk/vent/scream/cry...or hopefully rejoice! Holding you both in my thoughts and prayers.

[Leilani]

Thank you both.  This really is a great community.