How I learned to stop worrying and love the pandemic
Editor:
As this winter closes and the new threat of a nuclear winter looms large with the impudence of Putin and his maniacal ego, I have reflected on the last couple of years of COVID-19 and realize that it wasn’t all bad. But first and foremost, I want to offer my sympathies and condolences to those who lost loved ones, their livelihood, or their health due to the virus that swept around the globe. I know victims of COVID-19 and I wouldn’t wish it upon the most insidious conspiracist. Secondly, I hunkered down with my family and did not leave the country or even the province for the last two years. Having spent my entire working life travelling the planet I did not feel like I was missing anything (A great number of my friends and family feel otherwise).
In my reflection I realized that there are many little silver pockets in the dark cloud that appears to be moving on. I’m not sure if any of you can relate, but here are the some of my favourite things about the pandemic:
• Thanks to sanitizing and mask wearing I haven’t had a single cold or flu since the fall of 2019.
• My ears have been permanently bent forward from the mask elastic which has resulted in improved hearing – granted, only for head-on conversations. (I will miss the mask because it was a great nosebag for storing snacks to enjoy in secret. I recommend skittles and M&Ms. Chocolate didn’t work well with the beard).
• I saved a fortune in personal hygiene products, haircuts, and Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. (Others in my household did not appreciate this aspect as much, understandably).
• My travel and entertainment budget is now huge and begging to be spent and I will relish doing so as soon as I feel it is safe.
• My liver has completely healed itself from a dearth of social drinking opportunities. Not that I was much of an alcoholic before, but on occasion I would observe my limits from the wrong side.
• I lost about 10 pounds which seems to be permanent. This is likely attributed to fewer restaurant meals and less alcohol consumption.
• I had time to complete tasks on my To-Do List. I even winterized seasonal equipment, which I never do. (Some long-term tasks, which I were leaving for after I was dead, even got done).
• I had a chance to build and test some new projects, some of which failed miserably. (My favourite was the mobile bidet service, which is mothballed until a pandemic which has diarrhea as a symptom.)
• I quit Instagram. I had nothing to post, and felt it was wasting a lot of my time. I was right.
• I have time to write a few more letters to The Creemore Echo.
Murray Lackie,
Creemore.
