Tag: quarantine

One of the overall common themes this past year for nearly everyone I know, has been grief. From the loss of graduation celebrations to activities with friends, to jobs, to the hundreds of thousands who have lost loved ones, the losses experienced have been countless. One of the unique aspects of 2020, and there were many, is the fact that these losses, on some level, have been experienced by everyone. We are not alone in our grief. We are a grieving community, a grieving country, a grieving world.

Like all experiences of grief, we will not simply forget with time or just eventually get over it, but we can, and we will get through it. We can get through it, we can heal, and we can become stronger and more resilient because of our experience.

"To open or not to open, that is the question." Shakespeare is probably rolling in his grave at my lamentable misuse of his famous “To be or not to be” but these days "To open or not to open" IS the question. And it is driving most of us absolutely crazy.

If there’s one thing I noticed about our sheltering-in-place time, it’s that complaining did absolutely nothing about it. Zip. Nada. Complaining about the lack of work didn’t magically produce more work, ditto lack of income. Complaining about the ordeal—pardon me, challenge—of home-schooling (especially if more than one child was involved) didn’t make it less onerous. Complaining about the lack of TP didn’t make it grow on trees. In fact, all complaining did was annoy whoever else was around to hear it, and didn’t make you much happier either.

In reflecting on her feelings during this Coronavirus lockdown, author R. O. Kwon wrote in the New York Times that she is grieving, and chances are, we all are too.

Indeed, the Coronavirus crisis is taking a staggering toll on human life—but the loss we’re all experiencing does not stop there. Jobs, school, the comfort of visits with community and family, peace of mind… No wonder you may be having trouble focusing and sleeping or experiencing exhaustion, sadness and anger. That’s grief for you.

Over the years, friends of mine who know I sell expensive homes to people of wealth and those without, have remarked, "I can’t understand Americans. They never spend time in their homes. They are always working or on the freeway heading to something."

Like it or not, people around the world have been forced to stay home these days, thus giving them no choice but to finally chill out, relax and explore the features of their homes, most of which they pay for but rarely fully use. I, for example, for the first time, have played with my home theatre and surround sound features and started to appreciate my newly learned experience. Also, for the first time, I learned what it means to "putter in your garage." It’s been really fun.