The list of things imposing misery right now is quite long. Ukraine is never far from mind. For many of my friends, Russia’s atrocities are personal.
Things I’ve heard in the last month from people I am close to:
My mother grew up in Belarus.
My grandparents are Russian Jews, but from areas now Ukraine.
I just found out that I have a relative from Poland who died in the Holocaust. I was named after her.
I’m have very little family history, which is traumatizing too.
My grandfather grew up in Odessa.
I didn’t realize that H’s mother was Ukrainian.
Meanwhile, it’s Monday and K has gone into the office. He will travel into Boston every day this week. It strikes me as a signature Covid experience how the familiar becomes strange and the strange becomes familiar. Example: in spite of this being my husband’s commuting routine for decades before the pandemic, it now feels a little weird, a little dangerous, a little not-normal.
Also today: I get to make a friend lunch and we won’t have to be quiet because K is on the phone at his workstation (aka the kitchen table).
And, I get my second booster this afternoon.
We got boosted again last week (aside from a sore arm, no big deal) …
and yes, the Ukraine connections have come from some unexpected angles (which shouldn’t be surprising as distaff family names are “lost” to married names) … I’ll never see yellow and blue in quite the same way and very much like how you’re using them here
last, I’m glad things are “getting back to normal” (although I doubt I will ever again go into a doctor’s office unmasked), but I agree that it continues to be surprising how totally Covid Life became normalized
This morning, opening the door, stepping outside to a very brisk wind that almost instantly cooled my cup of tea,I looked at my little peace/prayer flag for Ukraine. I had left it somewhat raggedy with lots of fringe and threads and with the fierce winds that we have and are having, it has really taken a beating, threads flying all over the place but it is still hanging onto its little branch. I moved it from the apple tree because the wind kept knocking it down so now it is clipped to an iron trellis on the patio. Knocked down, back up and how many times will this be the scenario for the people of Ukraine:: we won’t put boots on the ground or send planes because of the danger of a nuclear war since Ukraine is not in NATO but then if it is fast tracked and becomes a part of NATO, we will, and this makes me nuts…yes I get the fear of the nuclear option but this needing to wait, to follow the “rules” also is upsetting as more and more die, are displaced and cities and lives, absolutely destoryed.”
Boosters: R had his 2nd booster on April 2nd but I am waiting until the fall for two reasons: our daughter Shelley is coming for a visit at the end of September so we can attend the Harvest Festival at one of the best living history museums that I have ever seen, El Rancho de Las Golondrinas in Santa Fe. This will be their 50th anniversary so it will be a huge fiesta with lots of people. Secondly, we will be flying, hopefully, to CA for Thanksgiving and given the waning immunity of booster shots, I want to get it closer to that time
I get my 2nd booster on Sat. Yes, things have reversed themselves as to what is normal.
My nana, my birth-father’s mama, was born in Bender, Moldova. I can’t begin to explain how it feels to have that connection. How that one fact changes things.
I can imagine that connection to on being very significant right now and maybe ever after going forward.
it just goes to show how connected we are, you don’t even have to go too far back…..
the war has completely usurped the telly over here and covid seems a very distant memory
I say: stop Russian gas, let us feel a little pain as well
peace comes at a price, as does war
beautiful collages Dee
our house was painted blue and yellow only last Summer, not quite sure what to make of that, if anything
Read a good article yesterday about how Germany was perfectly willing to impose austerity measures during the debt crisis a few years back and is less willing to shoulder them themselves, even though this was somewhat foreseeable.
As for the paint? Maybe something in the ether?
There is very little about Covid in the news here either. It’s distressing how willing people are to act as if it was over.
Yes, isn’t it totally STRANGE how what used to be “normal” stuff feels SO bizarre, a little bit “wrong”!?
And yes…Ukraine 💔
I found out that my cousin’s biological father was Ukrainian.
We are more connected than we know.
Each day the possibility of learning some new piece of our story is a reality…when those pieces fall in a rhythm one after the other, sometimes it is overwhelming and awakening. Your words and story today opened some windows of exploration for me to view…thanks.
Staying curious. The idea keeps coming back.