Journal of Pier Luck

One of my goals for April was to write down one thing each day that I was grateful for. Here are my 30 things in no particular order: Learning, video chats, birds, memories, phones, vision, sunlight, cooking, cheese, love, Dustin, parents, gardening breeze, mountains, water, ocean, friends, family, dancing, movies, exercise, wine, social media, games, avocados, hula, hikes, pineapples, goals. These helped to keep me sane in the month of April. I will continue it for May as well. I just completed my May Calendar of goals. I hope to start a new home health job on the 26th. Until then I will keep things pretty much the same, Game Night Mondays, Tuesday Tennis, Wednesday Date Night, Thursday Movie Night, Friday Happy Hour with friends (zoom), Saturday brunch and outdoor games and Sunday Family Video chats.  I have workouts and activities (continuing to call elderly and those living alone has created a lot of happiness for me) planned for each day as well, so I am feeling like this...

Wow, when will this be able to occur again!?? Families from four different states packed into a 15 passenger van!?  Those kinds of thoughts keep creeping in, despite my focus on the positive.  When will I be able to hug someone other than Dustin (good thing he's a good hugger!)? When will I be able to play with all my nieces and nephews, both blood related and non? When will I be able to go to an assisted living to see a patient without being afraid for their lives? When will be able to get on a plane to see our family and friends?  When will we be able to host people in our new home that we love so much? When will be able to get out and truly explore our new home? When will be able to go to a movie and go out to eat, have a BBQ or party, meet friends for a hike or beach time?  When will we be able to dance in a group again? Attend a wedding? Go swimming in a pool? Play doubles tennis? Go to a brewery or a winery to meet new friends? I know, I know, all these prob...

This picture was from February at a Tiki Bar in Honolulu. First of all, I am still feeling very fortunate, but I'm sure as everyone is feeling, our normal routines are a bit off.  I mainly want to journal this so that I can come back to it in a few years when hopefully I have forgotten all the changes from back in 2020! All of our norms are normally different, but here's mine. Normally I would pick up that piece of trash on the sidewalk. Normally, I would not be worried for my friends who are medical professionals. Normally I would shake my new neighbors hand and offer to bring her trash cans in. Normally I would have a housewarming party soon after we move to a new place. Normally I would meet new friends at the gym, at a tennis league, at a Navy function, at a fundraising event. Normally I would be researching and booking trips for weddings, 40th birthdays and the Maryville University 20 year reunion. Normally I would help my neighbor with her gate. Normally I would no...

Like so many of you right now, I have an abundance of thoughts running crazily through my head!  This picture was taken in the beginning of March. It's crazy when you scroll back in your camera and things were so normal just a short time ago, but it seems like time has stood still.  There is so much to be thankful for and each day, I come up with at least one new thing to be thankful for.  First of all, as of right now, I don't know anyone directly who has Covid19, and I sure hope it stays that way, but the odds aren't looking great, especially since we have so many friends from all over the globe!  I know that those who are truly suffering in hospitals by themselves, whether with coronavirus or not, are the people we really need to be sending positive love towards;  and their families and the medical professionals who are helping them to deal.  The rest of us like to complain about the annoyances of stay at home orders and quarantines, but unless you ...