Way back in the Roaring 20s – literally a hundred years ago – there were lots of colloquial expressions that came into common usage to describe wonderful things. Anecdotal
Contrast that wacky social positivity of the 1920s to the dark and necessarily anti-social days of the early 2020s. YIKES.
COVID. Pandemic. “The Virus.” Political jabs in every direction. Losing family and friends because of those jabs. Being told “you can’t do this…” and “you can’t do that...” Mixed into this was death. So much death. Will it ever end? Everyone was tired and is tired of hearing about the pandemic.
Reading those few lines may spike your anxiety or even make you tear up. The pandemic really took most of us by surprise and the toll on us as social beings has been more difficult than any of us could have ever imagined. Overnight we were in lockdown, not allowed to leave our homes, not allowed to see our loved ones. We were having groceries delivered by brave people who masked up and picked up groceries at stores or distribution centers and delivered them to our lobby or front gate. No contact allowed.
For just over two years we couldn’t gather socially in large groups. When you live in a high-rise you’re used to seeing people almost every day. It’s your neighborhood; your community. Many of you live in a community where you’re used to seeing your neighbors in the mail room, on the elevator, or in the lobby. Gone were the simple, everyday interactions even if those just included a hello, or how are you. Gone were the resident parties that were simply the norm every year. A “spring fling” or pool opening party after being indoors for the long winter were anticipated by many. Perhaps you looked forward to the annual holiday party. Surely for many older residents who couldn’t get out much due to mobility issues these simple interactions were important to their daily lives and their social calendar consisted of those normally held resident parties. An invisible virus stole those daily interactions and those parties from residents. Many people became quite sad, withdrawn, and depressed. The days and months dragged on. Losing track of the days was normal. There was even a commercial on TV whose sole message was announcing the day’s date and the weather to remind you exactly what day it was. Often times it felt as though there was no end in sight to this pandemic. “Will I ever be able to see my family or friends again?” was a question often repeated in our heads and many times asked out loud.
As restrictions slowly but finally began to ease late last winter, many residents were eager to see their neighbors again but doing so in an enclosed environment was still off limits. Outdoor activities though were seen and believed to be for the most part, safe, even without masks. As spring approached it was time to fill the pool. The pool would finally
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