Anyone else having trouble getting excited about anything?

[antmaril]

It really has been a difficult time. I lost one of my best friends in early February (not COVID) and then my 62 year old sister died on March 6th after a long illness. We were hoping to have a Memorial Service for her on March 15th, but we canceled that out of an abundance of caution. Everything shut down a few days later.

I had trips planned to Vegas, NYC, Disney and a Caribbean cruise that have all been canceled. I am widowed and retired. I am trying to strike a balance between staying home all of the time and taking some risks. I think we will be dealing with this for quite a while and I just have to move forward without being reckless. And, yes, it is very difficult to get excited about anything because I am second guessing myself. I have dined in restaurants several times since the end of June, both outside and inside. Should I do that? I don’t know, but it sure felt good to do something halfway normal. I wear a mask whenever I am out. Wash my hands, hand sanitizer, wipes and keeping my distance. It‘s all I can do.

I am supposed to take a short road trip for a few days with a friend in mid-August. The closer it gets, the less excited I am. Should we go? Is it too risky? I don’t know the answer. We probably shouldn’t go, but sometimes I think I will lose my mind if I don’t do something. Ugh.

And, just to be clear, I count my blessings every day. I have been through hard times in my life. Lost my 55 year old husband to pancreatic cancer 12 years ago. So, I know what difficult is, and I still say this has been very difficult and will remain difficult for the foreseeable future.

 

[tvguy]

Having to put off retirement would be mentally tough for me. I’m sorry

Well, it really is early retirement. I'm not full Social Security retirement age for another 3 1/2 years

 

[choirfarm]

I don’t want me or my family/friends to be infected by this virus, but if things are like this for more than a year or 2, at some point it’s time to just accept the risk and move on. I will not spend 4-5 years of my life at home avoiding people because that’s not life. Our society and economy will be shattered and we’ll all be way worse off if we let the virus rule us for that long.

Yes, many people are accepting the risk. That's fine. Just kniw life will still not be normal. Businesses will open close open shut down permanently. It is already happening. Whether we shut down or remain open this virus is and will shatter our economy and society. We can't stop it. It will do what it will do. They keep trying to give us hope, but immunity isn't looking good and IF we have a SAFE vaccine, that will be many years away.

We are ok financially and physically if we stay isolated, but then I will just live watching friend, family member and acqaintecs die because of the virus or financial stress it brings. Life as I know it is gone and I just can't bring myself to accept that I will never be able to hug anyone again without worrying that I will kill them.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Yes, many people are accepting the risk. That's fine. Just kniw life will still not be normal. Businesses will open close open shut down permanently. It is already happening. Whether we shut down or remain open this virus is and will shatter our economy and society. We can't stop it. It will do what it will do. They keep trying to give us hope, but immunity isn't looking good and IF we have a SAFE vaccine, that will be many years away.

We are ok financially and physically if we stay isolated, but then I will just live watching friend, family member and acqaintecs die because of the virus or financial stress it brings. Life as I know it is gone and I just can't bring myself to accept that I will never be able to hug anyone again without worrying that I will kill them.

If people would wear masks for 8 weeks, life as we know it would come back pretty quickly.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It really has been a difficult time. I lost one of my best friends in early February (not COVID) and then my 62 year old sister died on March 6th after a long illness. We were hoping to have a Memorial Service for her on March 15th, but we canceled that out of an abundance of caution. Everything shut down a few days later.

I had trips planned to Vegas, NYC, Disney and a Caribbean cruise that have all been canceled. I am widowed and retired. I am trying to strike a balance between staying home all of the time and taking some risks. I think we will be dealing with this for quite a while and I just have to move forward without being reckless. And, yes, it is very difficult to get excited about anything because I am second guessing myself. I have dined in restaurants several times since the end of June, both outside and inside. Should I do that? I don’t know, but it sure felt good to do something halfway normal. I wear a mask whenever I am out. Wash my hands, hand sanitizer, wipes and keeping my distance. It‘s all I can do.

I am supposed to take a short road trip for a few days with a friend in mid-August. The closer it gets, the less excited I am. Should we go? Is it too risky? I don’t know the answer. We probably shouldn’t go, but sometimes I think I will lose my mind if I don’t do something. Ugh.

And, just to be clear, I count my blessings every day. I have been through hard times in my life. Lost my 55 year old husband to pancreatic cancer 12 years ago. So, I know what difficult is, and I still say this has been very difficult and will remain difficult for the foreseeable future.

I am sorry for your losses; you’ve had so many. Your reaction sounds healthy and balanced. A pp’s does not.

 

[Farro]

Yes, many people are accepting the risk. That's fine. Just kniw life will still not be normal. Businesses will open close open shut down permanently. It is already happening. Whether we shut down or remain open this virus is and will shatter our economy and society. We can't stop it. It will do what it will do. They keep trying to give us hope, but immunity isn't looking good and IF we have a SAFE vaccine, that will be many years away.

We are ok financially and physically if we stay isolated, but then I will just live watching friend, family member and acqaintecs die because of the virus or financial stress it brings. Life as I know it is gone and I just can't bring myself to accept that I will never be able to hug anyone again without worrying that I will kill them.

N/M.

I don't know if you are serious or not.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I tried to be “normal” and eat inside a restaurant. Every single server and employee I saw had a mask but it was pulled down below their nose. That was it for me. I can’t trust anyone to keep me safe so they don’t get my business.

The people that are traveling like there wasn’t a pandemic will be shamed by me. You are complicit in the spread of the disease and the reason the rest of us can’t travel or do anything outside the house.

My son has to spend his senior year of HS in virtual learning because the school district won’t mandate masks.

I could go on about the selfishness of the American people. I feel like the poster who says we won’t get back to anything normal for years. It will take that long for this virus to die out I believe. It is highly spreadable and contagious and because people won’t do a couple simple things for the short-term we won’t be able to get back to normal for a long time.

 

[antmaril]

I am sorry for your losses; you’ve had so many. Your reaction sounds healthy and balanced. A pp’s does not.

Thank you.

 

[choirfarm]

N/M.

I don't know if you are serious or not.

About what??? Any one of us could be an asymptomatic carrier and we wouldn't know it. So, I could think I'm fine and hug my mom or a friend and they are one of the unlucky ones that can't fight this virus and die. That is what I hate and what drives me nuts about this virus, you cannot do anything to predict who will do well or who will not. I mean, yes, those with diabetes, obesity,lung issues will do worse, but there are many otherwise healthy people. Are they outliers, yes, though not as much as people say.

So yeah, MY life will not be normal until I don't have to worry about killing someone if I hug them. I could care less about myself. I mean I hate not being able to do the things I love. But the worse part is worrying that I may unintentionally kill someone else with this virus. So I stay my distance and wear a mask. We have been able to go camping, but we don't get near anyone and only use our bathroom not the public one, so I don't have to worry about spreading it to anyone.

 

[Farro]

About what??? Any one of us could be an asymptomatic carrier and we wouldn't know it. So, I could think I'm fine and hug my mom or a friend and they are one of the unlucky ones that can't fight this virus and die. That is what I hate and what drives me nuts about this virus, you cannot do anything to predict who will do well or who will not. I mean, yes, those with diabetes, obesity,lung issues will do worse, but there are many otherwise healthy people. Are they outliers, yes, though not as much as people say.

So yeah, MY life will not be normal until I don't have to worry about killing someone if I hug them. I could care less about myself. I mean I hate not being able to do the things I love. But the worse part is worrying that I may unintentionally kill someone else with this virus. So I stay my distance and wear a mask. We have been able to go camping, but we don't get near anyone and only use our bathroom not the public one, so I don't have to worry about spreading it to anyone.

Okay.

I hope you can try and find some joy in life. I truly do feel sad for you when I read your posts.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Okay.

I hope you can try and find some joy in life. I truly do feel sad for you when I read your posts.

I mean, on the other side of this, blindly going about your life right now isn't right either.

 

[Planogirl]

Life is getting tedious. I listed some good stuff on the other thread but even those things can get awfully monotonous after a while. That part is hard to deal with.

i still enjoy the little things luckily. However sometimes I want to do something different but what?

 

[choirfarm]

Okay.

I hope you can try and find some joy in life. I truly do feel sad for you when I read your posts.

I mean, on the other side of this, blindly going about your life right now isn't right either.

I do have joy. I've enjoyed having all kids home, our giant garden, time to read.
But I am a planner and a realist. Pixie dust about life being normal in a month. Nope. Since I cannot plan on anything (tried to go see MIL after really self quarantining for 2 weeks and our 18yo spiked a fever so we hurriedly turned around and drove the 5 hours back. ) Do no can't count on anything. Sometimes I'm ok with it. Sometimes not. That is normal.

 

[a1tinkfans]

We ve resorted to car rides. Pathetic. Still bring our masks and wipes etc. we walked thru a car dealership , outside... it felt Good to just be out In the sunshine, away from the house lol.
I’ve read more books than ever before and I’m an avid reader. I still bike occasionally and walk daily but I don’t sleep well anymore at all. I wake up exhausted, up and down all nite. Can’t fall asleep. An awful cycle at this point. Stress, and I know it.
I wish Everyone would either Stay Home or Please... Wear a Mask when u leave ur home and Still Socially distance. They go hand in hand! We Can Control this ...Help us All get thru this Quicker! Rant over

 

[blackdogg]

Agreed with all. This is rough. Trying to sort out next trip times but I'm bummed about so much this year... it must get better but.... this is difficult!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Frivolous things that make me happy. Not in any particular order.

Mani/Pedi
Massage
New Shoes/Handbags

I almost listed travel but decided THAT is a necessity

Ok large update today

Some new excitement from today which gives me something to look forward to beyond a few days (purse is still my most immediate excitement )

1) Went to Nebraska Furniture Mart today and got a new microwave. Our existing cabinet one (built into one of our cabinets) has been broke about 13 months after it was installed (in our new build home) and of course out of warranty (it was apparently a crappy microwave anyways or so the reviews say) so we've been using a smaller counter top one from college days (so circa 2006/07 ) for almost 5 years now. I've been over using that microwave (takes up counter space too) but geez microwaves are expensive. We got a great deal (best we could find for that model) on a Whirlpool one and the trim kit wasn't too too bad in price either--side note trim kits for microwaves are stupid expensive for what they are!). Downside because we wanted it in black (not stainless steel black just the shiny black finish) it's considered a special order and so that one is sometime in August at this point

2) While at Nebraska Furniture Mart we looked at their mattresses. We've desperately been needing a new one but it was hard with the pandemic and oh my they can be expensive (especially for king sized beds) which is why we hadn't gotten one for the last several years. We've been using a mattress for over 8 years that previously belonged to the in-laws that they had been using for several years. While at Nebraska Furniture Mart we looked online and Overstock had the same mattress that we liked (which was in the better part of our price range for what we were hoping to spend). They had it for $340 less than Nebraska Furniture Mart (and with free shipping) so we bought it from them. Downside is delivery is 1-4 weeks

But hey now those things are bought

Oh and we got our deep freezer finally cleaned out and ready to use (belonged to my husband's grandmother and we took it when she passed away) and bought a basket insert for it yesterday on Amazon and that came today--perfect fit and we love it! We also bought some (by that I mean a 100 pack) of these aluminium nose strips on Amazon that have tape on it for our cloth masks so we can make them fit better on our nose. That is supposed to come tomorrow.

 

[LSUmiss]

Quite honestly if I was mostly staying home and reading through these boards I would probably be depressed too. Reading here gives the impression that most people are staying home, keeping away from friends/family, only getting together rarely and then only far apart outdoors with little hugging. Many talk of still doing only online grocery pick up and take out. I’ve been fairly surprised how little variance of opinion I have seen on these boards.

It does not match what I’m seeing outside in real life. I’ve been living a fairly “normal” life for many months now. We’ve been traveling a variety of places for the past 3 weeks and that’s what I’ve seen everywhere I’ve gone, is people out living very normally, wearing masks of course. That’s probably the only real difference is people are wearing masks, and some places we’ve traveled dining is exclusively outdoors. Currently we’re in NYC and all dining has been outdoors here, but still very “normal”.

Same in my area.

 

[LSUmiss]

Some have decided not to socially distance from their family in this situation. We decided not to do so and I'm very happy with our choice. We have had a few losses during COVID including my father. Non died from the virus but other conditions. Can't imagine them spending their last days alone and without their loved ones. Grieving especially during COVID is difficult especially when funerals, hospital visits, etc are restricted or limited.

Same here. We still see all of our close family who live nearby us anyway. Some actually live in our neighborhood.

 

[LSUmiss]

I tried to be “normal” and eat inside a restaurant. Every single server and employee I saw had a mask but it was pulled down below their nose. That was it for me. I can’t trust anyone to keep me safe so they don’t get my business.

The people that are traveling like there wasn’t a pandemic will be shamed by me. You are complicit in the spread of the disease and the reason the rest of us can’t travel or do anything outside the house.

My son has to spend his senior year of HS in virtual learning because the school district won’t mandate masks.

I could go on about the selfishness of the American people. I feel like the poster who says we won’t get back to anything normal for years. It will take that long for this virus to die out I believe. It is highly spreadable and contagious and because people won’t do a couple simple things for the short-term we won’t be able to get back to normal for a long time.

So let me get this straight, you can’t travel b/c other ppl traveled?

 

[Frwinkley]

trvigirlmg:

I do agree with you to some extent. I am not begrudging anyone their travel plans, etc. because everyone's circumstances are different. We should we able to get on with our lives in some capacity and not remain locked in our homes. Having said that, however, I just wish people would wear masks in every state, everywhere. Humans are selfish creatures by nature, but this is such a simple thing that we could do for each other. It infuriates me beyond measure that we cannot get this under control.