Siri says, “Stimulus, an interesting and exciting quality that rouses activity or energy in someone.”
This week I finished my fifth pandemic hand-knitted scarf and I have started my sixth scarf. This new scarf is a very, very, bright orange color. My son picked it out for me (I believe) in the hopes that my personality might brighten up a bit while knitting this particular scarf.
Since my life and my personality has never really fit into any normal category, when I heard on the news that people who have been cooped up with a few family members could begin to show signs of cabin fever…. well, let’s just say, I didn’t believe that this particular issue would apply to me. You see I consider myself to be very “Mother Teresa-ish.” Maybe even a little sweeter. Mother Teresa never had a “was-band” and a son and three animals move in with her in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment on the 16th floor of a high-rise in a big city in the middle of a pandemic where she wasn’t allowed to even descend in an elevator to pick up her mail for fear of catching a virus that might finish her life. I have a round face, with a round turned up nose and round eyes and a sweet smile that has deceived people, and maybe I have even deceived myself into believing that I am actually a kind, sweet-tempered person. This illusion of my sweet character has melted away faster than the disappearance of money from my dwindling checking account.
This week the other hidden side of my complicated personality has reared it’s ugly head and has come out of hiding. It’s as if Mary Poppins spun around three times and turned herself into … (dare I say it?) a BITCH! You know when your family members and your pets seem to scatter searching for a place to hide when you walk into a room that maybe, just maybe, they have stared into the ferocious, savage eyes of Godzilla.
Every single thing and everyone is making me angry. Not just a little angry… really, really, really, angry. I hate my apartment, I hate my pets, I hate, my “was-band” (well, I hate him more than usual) and I even hate my very nice, sweet, helpful, son. Oh my, and I really, really, really, hate every branch of the government, especially the people holding up the stimulus money for small businesses.
Guess, I have to admit that I have been a tad nasty these days. Is it my fault? I don’t think so. I am going to give you my side of the story. One month ago people started getting worried about a virus that appeared in China and after infecting lots of unsuspecting lovely people living and working in China the virus started moving across the world and infecting and killing lots and lots of unsuspecting lovely people. My business relies on vacationers and reservations of vacationers. In March my business when from 35 or so reservations to 9. Next, all the reservations were canceled for the next three to four months. So from having a business to no business, let’s just say it hasn’t been easy. Next, our state has been closed. Yep, the whole state and we aren’t allowed to leave our homes or apartments except for emergencies, or grocery shopping or to walk our dogs. Lastly, seniors over the age of 65 are dropping like flies of this illness therefore; we are supposed to stay indoors until this virus subsides which could be for the foreseeable future!!!
We have been told that each of us (the population over 18) should be receiving a stimulus check or deposit from our government just for staying at home and vegetating. This is our gift for sitting at home and not getting the virus or dying. You see this virus easily spreads to our family or friends and neighbors and GUESS WHO ELSE CAN GET THIS DEADLY VIRUS??? MAYORS, GOVERNORS, SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN AND WOMEN, and all POLITICIANS CAN GET THIS VIRUS AND DIE TOO!!! Did you ever in your life ever see our government close so fast as soon as it was clear that the men and women running things can die of it too? WOW, Boom, Closed!!! Just a few weeks ago senators and mayors were telling us not to worry. Just go out in the street and bars and enjoy yourselves, they said. Until they realized that they could catch it and die of it too.
The only problem is… who will pay these politicians’ salaries if we all stay home? So, now what do they do? We are supposed to keep washing our hands, not touching anyone or anything and we are supposed to go back out into the world, go to work, and in some cases find new jobs and hopefully not die of this deadly virus.
To Repeat:
“Stimulus, an interesting and exciting quality that rouses activity or energy in someone.”
Where does this leave us? I don’t know about you but today I am out of stimulus. I would make myself a martini but I’m out of alcohol too.
Until Next Week…
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