By Ann Gillis
Photo by Barb Sternett
Remember when we had to write that essay after we returned to school in the Fall? Recalling that memory provided the push I needed to write this. We were asked to write about what I now call my “COVID Vacation.” Will we be really, really, truthful? My first reaction was “Oh NO, do I really want to own up to the fact that I got really, really lazy?”
The first week wasn’t so bad, really. I had great plans to sort out some of those old papers and
get them over to the shredder. You know how that went.
How about the closet? Lots of clothes there that could be sorted and donated somewhere. Well, after a few tries I thought I just might wear them again. Yeah, right! Put that project off.
Hey, have you ever spent time going through the Resident Directory on the Portal? I did. Can’t remember what week that was though, but we have some really, really interesting people who live at John Knox Village. I found out things that I never knew before. Try it sometime. I double dog dare you. Really.
Of course, the weeks all seemed to run together. No beginning, no end. The days seemed to revolve around meal choices. Was that the highlight of my day? What was the best time to pick up my meal? Kudos to Dining Services for a great job preparing and packaging our meals, and our servers who brought them out to our cars in the rain or shine, and always with a smile. Really.
Marketing did their best to lift our spirits, and help keep our brain juices perking by delivering little treats like Twinkies (hadn’t had one in years), Animal Crackers, little poems, projects, trivia, etc. That led me to research Twinkies and Animal Crackers. Way too much time on my hands. I’ll save that for another time. Thanks, Marketing. Really!
A walk around the lake and to the Centre for coffee was another highlight. This activity took on a life of its own and became a daily inventory of what was new in the Scoop. Oh my, all the new produce, dairy products, snacks, etc. The Scoop and the coffee station became other places to see people and share a little conversation.
People. How I missed my contact with people. “People – people who need people – are the luckiest people in the world.” Barbra Streisand made the song popular in 1964. Nothing could have had more meaning during this “vacation.” What I missed most was that contact. The personal touch. The HUG. Yes, the human contact is what keeps us alive.
We were well cared for. I don’t think management missed a beat in meeting our needs and, yes, often our wants, but the social distancing…that was tough. REALLY.