Christmas this year was different because the nation has been under the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. No extended visits this year, but there was still a Christmas in my home. Because I have an almost 8-month-old kitten named Magic, I didn’t put up my Christmas tree. He puts everything in his mouth or knocks things off the table because he doesn’t have his brakes mastered yet. Despite the decorations not being used this year, my Christmas was still perfect. I rarely have company these days, but I did see a neighbor yesterday for a while. We had a great talk, and DKF was able to meet one of my good neighbors. Because Of COVID-19, my visits to my favorite neighbors’ homes are not happening right now. Neighbors rarely visit me. I believe I have excellent gifts from my mom and her husband and DKF and her husband, SF.
Even though Christmas was different this year, and I had a good day, I have to admit that I will be happy when the holidays are over. My schedule and routine will get back on track. Having dialysis on Tuesday and Thursday this week only and having dialysis Sunday morning puts my routine for the week four days of treatment instead of three days. When my routine changes, I feel stress and anxiety. I have vowed that in 2021, I will work on my emotional health in a better light.
Please forgive me for sounding like the Grinch this year by wanting it to be over. With COVID-19 out there, I have been coming in and going out only when I need to. Being in my apartment and seeing the same four walls around me can sometimes make my feelings feel raw. I miss getting out and enjoying life without the worry of getting sick. With COVID-19, fear sets in regularly. Some people haven’t taken the pandemic seriously, and that makes me mad. The pandemic hasn’t let up here in Rock County. Our hospital is filled with patients who have gotten sick, that the hospital has to place patients in the basement of the hospital! So many people have been testing positive with COVID. My heart aches for those people I know. I have family members (cousins) who have had gotten sick. Incredibly, people do not take this national pandemic seriously. I’ve felt that some people take the pandemic too seriously. I get it. I have to be careful — very careful now. I have kidney disease — a pre-existing condition.
