April 18 - Music

Over Easter, did you happen to catch the news clip of Andrea Bocelli singing Amazing Grace? He was singing and standing alone in the cathedral in Milan. What an incredible voice! I read Bocelli’s biography, or perhaps it was his autobiography, some years back. It was a fascinating life story.

During the course of this pandemic I have also seen news clips of people singing from their balconies in various cities around the world. There haven’t been any singers on the front yards of our town. Instead, I have been listening to my CD collection inside my living room. This might sound like a rather ordinary thing to do but truthfully, in normal times, I haven’t usually found time to do this. I am using the “stay at home” advisory to listen to my music collection.

Lyle and I enjoy music and over the years we have collected a large assortment of CD’s. Initially, I thought that I would go through these with the idea of downsizing. So far not a single CD has reached the reject pile. Sometimes I sit in my easy chair and just listen and at other times I go through an exercise program in time with the music. Because I can’t see to read the labels on the CD covers, it is always a nice surprise to hear what will be playing next. At any time, listening to music seems a better alternative than listening to the constant, repetitive and depressing news bulletins surrounding COVID-19.

What are you doing to keep your sanity in these stay at home days? I highly recommend lifting your spirits with music.

April 10 - Remembering

This year, Good Friday falls on April 10. For those of us who hold to the Christian faith, Good Friday is a solemn day and one of sadness. However, because we are remembering the day with the benefit of hindsight, we can also look forward to the joy of Easter Sunday. Perhaps that is something we can think of in the midst of the sadness, anxiety and confusion of current times. If we hold firm we can look forward with hope towards the end of this tragic pandemic.

I have also been thinking of April 10 because it was the date when Lyle and I were married. Yes, it is our anniversary! I remember that on the day of our wedding, the sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant blue. Unlike this year when there is still an abundance of the white stuff on the ground, that year there was only a small trace of snow in the ditches.

April 10 is a special day for us and many stand out in memory. Most of our anniversaries have been spent at home but there have been others that we have celebrated away from home. We have been fortunate to spend two different years in Australia and another in France. On some anniversary days we were both still working and so chose to enjoy any celebration on the weekend prior or post the actual date. On one particular April 10, I was in hospital and Lyle brought me a dozen red roses for my nightstand. Four years ago we chose to host a celebration dinner for friends and family and invited a clever magician to provide the entertainment.

I must admit that in spite of the terrible happenings outside our doors, I have enjoyed some quiet times remembering these past anniversaries. I am including a picture of Lyle and myself with this post. It wasn’t taken on an anniversary date but just this past month when we were in Australia. The picture was taken in front of the Sydney Opera House. Usually this area is crowded with throngs of people, but in the picture, there are very few people and they are far away from us. The city was already practicing social distancing. I think that Lyle and I will always remember this anniversary on April 10, 2020. 

Sue and Lyle in front of the Sydney Opera House

April 4 - Blindness and COVID-19

Vision loss, whether it is in the form of complete blindness or partial sight, can be extremely challenging. However, in almost 100% of cases it is not life threatening and as I have said before, it isn’t the very worst thing that a person can experience. I think now that COVID-19 must bear that unfortunate title. The coronavirus is horrible, terrible, tragic and life threatening. The world is in a war zone with an unseen but very aggressive enemy and we are all in the fight together.

In my post of March 6, I wrote about the importance of hand washing and using hand sanitizers. This was just before our flight to Australia, and we did take those particular precautions. However, had we been able to predict the extraordinary escalation of the coronavirus, we would not have set out on our trip at all. You can be sure that on our flight back home across the Pacific ten days ago, we practiced handwashing and sanitizing with even more diligence. Over the three weeks that we were away, the world became a different and far more scary place.

Within our new reality, a new vocabulary has also sprung up. Before the onset of the coronavirus, I don’t think that I ever used the words self-isolation or quarantine. Yet, today I am sitting in my house in self-isolation. Other terms have also become part of our everyday vocabulary. Educators and students alike are navigating through the maze of technical and computer terms as they struggle with on-line learning. Health care professionals talk about medically safe masks, gloves and ventilators. One of the key terms these days is social distancing.

For some of us, and more especially perhaps for those of us with limited sight, this last can be a difficult one. I am by nature a huggy, touchy type of person and that is just the tip of the iceberg. I frequently hold the arm of a guide when I am out walking. I tend to stand more closely with people in order to “see” them better. As for touching...well, I often touch things in order to confirm what they are. For instance, instead of looking down onto the meat packages at the grocery store, I will pick up the package in order to feel and assess its weight. I have a lot of new learning to do!

We are all struggling with our new and evolving world. None of us were really able to predict what is happening today and likely one of the more difficult things is that we are unable to predict what will be happening tomorrow. In the meantime, we reach out to our friends and families by phone, text, email, always keeping our social distance of course! I think of you all and hope and pray that you will stay well. Stay safe as you follow the guidelines of our politicians and health professionals. We can beat this if we all do it together.