There is optimism in the air in Calgary, and over many parts of the world. I know that many, many parts are still struggling and there is barely a hint – if any – of optimism there. I know that other groups of people are struggling for other reasons, and I’m not blind to those issues. We four talk about those things as a family. We pray, we read, we support causes financially. That is a post for another day.
But before I get into it, I would like to say hello, my friends, subscribers and readers! I would especially like to thank my faithful subscribers in Ireland, France, Ghana, Sweden, Ecuador, China and Hong Kong. I don’t know anyone personally in those countries so you must have found me somehow, and I’m so glad that you did.
Thank you ALL for sticking with me and this blog that I started at the beginning of the pandemic/lockdown when I found myself furloughed from work. I think that writing a post on this day of all days, feeling the way I do now, is especially fitting given the conditions of this blog’s birth.
But on a different level, I am optimistic about the summer and the future ahead, and after the year we had, that’s ok. That’s even good. So please allow me that. Here’s why.
June is the month of our birthdays. I say “our”, because Dave’s is June 20th and mine is June 24th, just four days later. Fun fact: my sister Amy is June 13th, and her hubby Nalin is June 9th – they are four days apart as well. We always told our younger sister Anita that she had to marry a guy born on September 3rd. She didn’t, but there’s nothing we would change about Rich! Anyway, there’s a lot of celebrating in June. Father’s Day is in June, and it always lands on the Sunday closest to Dave’s birthday. This year, Dave’s birthday is on Father’s Day, so we get to go crazy on that day. He loves it. We’re calling it, “Dave’s Day.” Then the family goes crazy for me four days later. When we were childless, we’d take the whole week off and call it “The Giesen week of fun.”
School is almost done! This has been a rough year for all kids, with all that back and forth between learning at home and learning in-person. It really sucked. My kids have taken it in stride because they were always happy to do what was needed for the sake of the greater good. Max is such a good kid – he never complained but he hated school at home. You could just read the disappointment on his face every time we got some bad news about school. When we heard his punching bag ringing in his room, we knew to give him some space. And his 13-year-old hormones probably need an outlet anyway. If you read my last blog post you will not be surprised to read that it was the worst school year ever for Kira. After her attempt and her two-week stay at the hospital, she spent another almost three weeks at home until she went back to school. She did online school when she was at home but it wasn’t the same. It was hard to catch up, her grades took a hit. I’m looking forward to her relaxing this summer and not having to think about calculations and formulas. She is taking a summer school course, but it’s a subject that comes easy to her and she can pass it in her sleep.
Then there’s the pandemic. I feel at this point in time, it is nearing the end. Alberta, Canada, the world – numbers are going down and people are getting back to living, little by little. Kira, Dave and I have received our second shot and Max will be getting his shortly. Almost two weeks ago, Alberta entered stage 2 of our #OpenForSummer strategy. We can go to movies and eat in restaurants again. Retail capacity has increased so hopefully lines will be shorter at the mall. Church attendance can go up to 30%! It will be so nice to see more people on Sunday mornings and not have to worry so much about missing registration on Monday morning. With work, I will be returning to the office soon. I haven’t heard about my company’s back to office strategy yet, but it’s coming soon. I can’t wait to get ready and leave the house every morning. Crazy, I know. But it’s true, I HATE working from home. Finally – and this is the best news – in just a few days, Alberta will move to stage 3, with no restrictions whatsoever. I can’t believe we are at this place. I think this move is largely motivated by a premier who really wants the Calgary Stampede to happen, because 1) he told Albertans a while ago that Stampede would go ahead and he doesn’t want to look bad, 2) he’s receiving pressure from the powers that be/conservative oil and gas companies to make it happen, and 3) the Stampede is a huge source of income for the UCP, so he has no choice. We do think its too early. However, it’s not up to us, so we will cautiously dip our toes into the restriction-free waters. Hand sanitizer has always been a part of my life and will stay, haha. We will still carry and wear masks in certain situations. We will still stay home when we are sick – this one will just be the new normal, I hope. However cautious, we are looking forward to some semblance of a normal summer. We also hope to travel again at the end of the summer.
My life is not a rose garden. There’s still worries and struggles every day. My health is still a concern on various fronts. Kira still struggles daily and that consumes me, day and night. Work is hard. We still feel like a burrito, feeling the pressure from all sides as Dave’s mom in a nursing home needs more and more support. There are still bills to pay, tough relationships to navigate. I miss my dad every single day. But if you and I were to run into each other and you asked me how I was, I’d say, I was feeling pretty darn good. God is good.
How are you feeling these days? Please leave a comment below and let me know. I’d love to hear from more of my subscribers when I post. Hint, hint!
(We are all adults. Please be civil. Hostile comments on either side will be removed/not approved).
My Life After 45 