Monday, February 01, 2021

A first breath

Carol has been sending delightful pandemic booklings to us and this quote from the latest felt like it was speaking directly to me. I have been so out of my mind with ceaseless worry that I've already read a children's book for kids who worry too much twice, and eaten way too many bags of chips.
Turning outrageously dyed t-shirts into pants has also been a stress coping mechanism, except then my eyes got freaked out and I had to stop when my pulse got too strong under one. They're not really appropriate for anything but being home alone but are extremely fun to wear.
In my countdown to departure, I have been grocery shopping in spurts when I need something for now and also to take overseas for quarantine. On Saturday, the cashier said, "When you spend over $10, you get a free potato. Do you want one?" I thought, that is a really weird offer, but said yes, only to find that she meant a 5-lb bag of potatoes! I swapped them for a few N95 masks from a friend today.
Aside from the ongoing red tape saga that started in April, my most immediate worry (about something out of my control, as always) was if the Covid-19 test that I had to take within 72 hours of my international flight would yield results fast enough. I agonized over this for days, trying to figure out which of the paltry options I should use and if I needed to double test. Yesterday was the test, and starting last night I obsessively checked my email for results. I even walked in the heavy snow today to calm down, then called family to whine. Mid-whine, my results were in! That clears the final hurdle—I can fly this week. Last week, I took my bricks to the new studio. It feels really good to be there, and I'm looking forward to the reunion.

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