My friend Donna, human mom to Gus’s buddies Tommy and Finley, said that my blog over the past year has been like a journal of the COVID experience. I started looking at old posts and realized just how much the pandemic had influenced almost everything that I’d written.
This opening paragraph from “The Universe is Knocking” on March 6, 2020, is my first real acknowledgment of what was happening. “The universe truly seems to have gone crazy this week. COVID-19 is causing fear, chaos, and plain old stress. People are in masks. Market shelves are empty. Restaurants are closed.” Still, I was almost naive about the extent of what was to come.
For a time, with all of the death and devastation, I felt it might not be appropriate to write my posts, but friends encouraged me to keep at it. They needed the break and sometimes a lighter perspective.
For instance, in the spirit of honesty, I wondered if the masks were making us 
look younger.
ELBEE That’s a no brainer. When she hikes maskless now she’s getting more of those “good job” comments reserved for old people on the trails.
I shared photos of the touching and sometimes funny chalk art that popped up. It was a way for people to communicate while still staying distanced.
When the shelter in place orders went into effect, the time we’d all spent with 
our dogs in the past paled in comparison. Gus and Stanley couldn’t go into the hospital but they became my personal therapy dogs 24/7. I even used them in my exercise routines.
GUS & STANLEY It was exhausting.
I wrote quite a bit about Zoom. As if reality wasn’t hard enough, all of a sudden “virtual” reality was a thing. Gus and Stanley began doing regular Zoom visits with the kids in the neuropsych units at UCLA while I, like so many others, struggled with technology.
Having them just sit in front of the computer 
wasn’t going to cut it, so out came the hats. sunglasses and ties. No trick was too silly if it made the kids laugh. On the bright side, would I ever have danced with Stanley if not for those 
visits?
ELBEE Probably.
Over the past year, aside from sharing the positive moments, I have also been honest about the emotional challenges. Depression, anxiety and insomnia have been much more prevalent. We are all trying to cope.
Now that we are slowly coming-out of it, there is still so much confusion and uncertainty.
ELBEE Like do you put on make up if you’re not sure if you’re going to be wearing a mask?
Seriously, as this difficult journey is winding down, let’s continue to offer each other compassion and support. Let’s lead with love and kindness.
(Photo by Doug Morrow😀)
