Mother's Day 2020

Mama

I don't know how long ago this picture of my mom was taken, or who took it (although I suspect it was my dad), but I know where it was taken: on the dock behind the parent's retirement home on Lake Worth, Texas. So many things make me smile when I look at it: how happy Mama was, imbibing her favorite evening drink (a martini), how great she looked, showing off her legs and slim figure. She was rarely that thin in her later years, when she struggled for her life through many illnesses. She died in 1993, almost having reached her seventieth birthday. Mama gave birth to seven children during her lifetime; I was the oldest, born when she was only nineteen. My youngest sister was born twenty years later, when Mama was 39. Twenty years of childbearing, with a gap between the first three and the last four. One sister died soon after birth, having been born prematurely; her lungs were not sufficiently developed for her to survive.

But in those seventy years, Mama accomplished so much and made many wonderful homes for her family over the years. When Daddy died in 1979, Mama was devastated and never fully recovered from the loss. Of course, that changes the trajectory of countless lives, losing your partner of many decades, but Mama was strong and found a way to carry on. But she never considered remarrying, because none of the eligible men held a candle to our dad, she said. She moved on from being a housewife but never stopped being an outstanding homemaker.

On this Mother's Day 2020, we are in the midst of a terrible pandemic of a virus that is taking away so many loved ones, families shattered, the entire world economy shut down and here in the United States, most of us are under lockdown orders; for our own good, we are mostly staying home. We learned this week that 30 million people are currently unemployed in the US, because most businesses are still closed after two months. Many businesses are tentatively beginning to reopen, although the pandemic is still very much alive in many parts of the country. It will be awhile yet before I'll be able to get a much-needed haircut or massage. Or go back to the gym. But I have adapted; although I'm not getting nearly the same amount of exercise I was before the virus changed everything, I'm at least past my period of ennui where I barely budged from my favorite chair for days on end.

At least three or four days a week, I'm able to go for a decent sized walk, and occasionally I will take a hike with a friend, keeping our physical distance and wearing face masks. It's not much fun to keep the mask on constantly, and although I keep it pulled down under my chin most of the time, when I meet someone on the trail or sidewalk, I pull it back up before passing by. At the grocery store yesterday, I noticed that almost everybody is wearing some kind of face covering and honoring the social distancing guideline of staying six feet apart. It's the new normal, and I suspect it will be with us for a long time to come.

I came across a comment on a favorite blog that mentioned a book that sounded interesting, Spillover by David Quammen. The subtitle for the book, written in 2012, is "Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic." He has been employed by National Geographic for a long time, and traveled extensively to get the information he shares in the book. In an article written by Alice Roberts, she is quoted here:

This is an extraordinary book. David Quammen has woven a story of incredible complexity; a detective story with a difference, with a host of murderers – all of them real. They are viruses, bacteria and single-celled organisms which infect other animals, but every now and then make the jump – spill over – to our own species. Each chapter follows the quest to track down a new villain. 

The book was written long before the emergence of the coronavirus that has now changed the entire world, but he predicts that it, and others to come, are definitely the new normal. I am only halfway through the book, but it's a fascinating read and Quammen is a gifted writer. Although it's terrifying to contemplate what horrors might await the world in the future, it's also very satisfying to learn how and why, and consider how we might be able to mitigate our fate. I recommend the book highly. It is my Mother's Day gift to you, if you like detective stories, that is. I loaded it onto my Kindle for a very reasonable price. Normally, I would have gotten it from the library, but that is not an option these days. Or even buying it at the shuttered local bookstore, so Kindle it is.

I haven't decided how I want to spend my Mother's Day this year. Hopefully I will get a chance to walk in the forest somewhere, enjoying the shaded greenery. Every once in awhile I remind myself that it's perfectly okay to settle into my chair and binge-watch a new show. One thing I know I will do today is finish the final two episodes of Dead to Me, a television series on Netflix. My sister suggested it, and at times I found myself glued to the chair and watching just one more episode. Now I've almost finished season 2, and I'll have to wait for who knows how long for season 3! The first series was released in May 2019, and the second in May 2020, but with everything on hold, it's unclear when the next season will be released. There is such a plethora of good shows to watch these days, I'm just hoping I'll remember to check for news about the show in May 2021.

 At least the weather is pretty darn perfect around here. If anything, it's a little on the too-warm side, with the weather yesterday making it all the way to 80°F (26°C). I kept looking for shade when I was walking yesterday, but today should be a few degrees cooler. I know for some, it would be perfect at 80, but I have become a Pacific Northwestern flower that wilts in the heat. I suppose I would adapt, but I shouldn't have to here, since it's much more likely to be cold and rainy, even in the summer. I'll survive the sunshine.

In any event, the flowers all around town are in full bloom, and the delight to my eyes is welcomed. I am in a beautiful part of the world, and at the beginning of summertime's long days, with plenty to be thankful for. My sweet partner is still sleeping next to me, and the day beckons, even if I will not be able to visit my friends in the coffee shop, I have my own coffee here. I might just take it out to the front porch and sit in the coolness of the morning air and drink it while I listen to the birds and enjoy the silence around me. Later there will be plenty of noise from lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and conversations floating through the air, but for now, it' all quiet.

And you, dear reader, I hope you will have a day to remember, one that keeps you and your loved ones safe and healthy. Every day is a gift, don't forget, and if your mother is still around, I know you will not forget to wish her a happy day. Until we meet again next week, I wish you all good things.