Getting used to new habits for Coronavirus....

[parkdalegardener]

I live in a slum high rise apt. in the downtown of the largest city in the country. I am fully vaccinated and while I have received a robocall from the Chief Medical Officer of Health to go, I have yet to receive my booster. Am I in a hurry to get it? Nope. Does it have anything to do with politics, hesitancy, mistrust of Big Phrma? Not a chance. It has everything to do with my refusal to enter an elevator, lobby, foyer, or other common area of this building. Lots of people have died here. Most of us are old people living on a fixed income with other health challenges than Covid. This place was built 60 years ago and air circulation was just not a concept. Outdoor space consists of a balcony 3ft wide by 6ft long. Not exactly a city park.


Like Miss B I won't be going to any gym. Climbing stairs in a mask, praying that I meet no-one while doing it once a week traveling to do my pre-dawn grocery shopping; is enough of a workout. Getting my weekly grocery up the stairs is even worse. When I finish this coffee I'll be getting ready to do it for another week.

Christmas is non-existent. There is no reason to decorate for a holiday celebration that is not going to happen. No-one was able to come by last year and they won't be allowed by the powers that be to come this year either. Maybe nest year should I make it for another. I was willing to just ignore last year. I can't just ignore the rest of my life. I can only hope things get better by spring.

 

[Hornet3d]

I live in a slum high rise apt. in the downtown of the largest city in the country. I am fully vaccinated and while I have received a robocall from the Chief Medical Officer of Health to go, I have yet to receive my booster. Am I in a hurry to get it? Nope. Does it have anything to do with politics, hesitancy, mistrust of Big Phrma? Not a chance. It has everything to do with my refusal to enter an elevator, lobby, foyer, or other common area of this building. Lots of people have died here. Most of us are old people living on a fixed income with other health challenges than Covid. This place was built 60 years ago and air circulation was just not a concept. Outdoor space consists of a balcony 3ft wide by 6ft long. Not exactly a city park.


Like Miss B I won't be going to any gym. Climbing stairs in a mask, praying that I meet no-one while doing it once a week traveling to do my pre-dawn grocery shopping; is enough of a workout. Getting my weekly grocery up the stairs is even worse. When I finish this coffee I'll be getting ready to do it for another week.

Christmas is non-existent. There is no reason to decorate for a holiday celebration that is not going to happen. No-one was able to come by last year and they won't be allowed by the powers that be to come this year either. Maybe nest year should I make it for another. I was willing to just ignore last year. I can't just ignore the rest of my life. I can only hope things get better by spring.

I feel for you, seriously, and it does go to show that there can be some valid reasons for not going for a booster. I love Christmas, I think it is because it was also my father's favorite time of year and he made an effort to make it special despite the desperate lack of funds many years. I know how I would feel if Christmas was cancelled altogether. Last year we had a few select people visit on the days when it was allowed so it was very different but we still made the most of it. It was also the first time in forty plus years that the rest of the family and I did not attend midnight mass and it was hard to see that tradition die. My heart goes out to anyone who has to cancel Christmas, unless of course you don't like it when I guess you have a smile on your face, one of my nieces is like that.

In the UK the media are full of headlines encouraging people to have their booster, what they don't say is that many have tried and cannot get the booster. It seems to depend on where in the country you live, we live in the South West and there seems to be no issue with getting the booster but I do know of people in other parts of the country booking their booster only to have the appointment cancelled as they have no supplies.

One part of me thinks, as a race, we will get through this as we did with Spanish flu and two world wars but another part fears the outcome considering where the world stands at this point in time. As with global warming not only does there seem to be so many that can't get past their own vested interests but shockingly, no shortage of people prepared to follow on blindly. I am not talking here of the decisions on jabs but more the crazy ways people suggest you can beat Covid. I mean it is one thing to destroy smart phone because someone on the Internet has suggested you can recharge it that way, but when it is your life at stake.

 

[eclark1894]

I live in a slum high rise apt. in the downtown of the largest city in the country. I am fully vaccinated and while I have received a robocall from the Chief Medical Officer of Health to go, I have yet to receive my booster. Am I in a hurry to get it? Nope. Does it have anything to do with politics, hesitancy, mistrust of Big Phrma? Not a chance. It has everything to do with my refusal to enter an elevator, lobby, foyer, or other common area of this building. Lots of people have died here. Most of us are old people living on a fixed income with other health challenges than Covid. This place was built 60 years ago and air circulation was just not a concept. Outdoor space consists of a balcony 3ft wide by 6ft long. Not exactly a city park.


Like Miss B I won't be going to any gym. Climbing stairs in a mask, praying that I meet no-one while doing it once a week traveling to do my pre-dawn grocery shopping; is enough of a workout. Getting my weekly grocery up the stairs is even worse. When I finish this coffee I'll be getting ready to do it for another week.

Christmas is non-existent. There is no reason to decorate for a holiday celebration that is not going to happen. No-one was able to come by last year and they won't be allowed by the powers that be to come this year either. Maybe nest year should I make it for another. I was willing to just ignore last year. I can't just ignore the rest of my life. I can only hope things get better by spring.

I wish I could say Christmas was a big deal for me like it used to be, but well, to be honest, while Christmas is a big inconvenience for most people with this pandemic, for me, it's just another day. All my brothers and sisters have died, except for one and she lives in Florida. I never got married or had any children, and while I do keep in contact with my nieces and nephews, I've turned into a hermit over the last few years.

 

[Hornet3d]

I wish I could say Christmas was a big deal for me like it used to be, but well, to be honest, while Christmas is a big inconvenience for most people with this pandemic, for me, it's just another day. All my brothers and sisters have died, except for one and she lives in Florida. I never got married or had any children, and while I do keep in contact with my nieces and nephews, I've turned into a hermit over the last few years.

I think that is the hidden side of Christmas that many do not see, if anyone works on a telephone support line for even a short amount of time it quickly becomes clear just how much a problem loneliness is and also how sharp it is felt by so many at Christmas. Sadly the isolation of the pandemic and the sheer number of people that have died means the problem is going to be much worse this Christmas. As a society if we gave half as much time we do to trolling, and spreading hate on social media and instead reached out to those who would love to have someone to converse with it would be a step in the right direction.

My heart sinks every time I hear of someone who lived alone has been found dead in their own home with seemingly no one looking in on them.

Again we are lucky in the street in which we live as everyone looks out for the tell tale signs that someone is up and about and all is well. Only yesterday I took the dog for a walk on my own and just after I returned there was a neighbour ringing to ask if my wife was alright. Happily she had gone to have her hair cut and I was walking down to meet her taking the dog with me but my wife's absence had been noted. There is also almost a code around the street, if there is no light on after 6.30 at number eight the neighbour is not up, the same is true if the curtains are still drawn after 09.00 at number 11 and so on. The words of the song that says 'I wish it could be Christmas everyday' tends to ignore the fact that, for some, that would be their worse nightmare.

 

[parkdalegardener]

I don't dislike Christmas and quite enjoy the celebration. With my grocery today I picked up a small fruit cake (yeah, I like 'em and was raised on them) and a couple of other small niceties that I wouldn't normally purchase; but decorating and the like is indeed kind of lonely as I discovered last year when everything was cancelled. I have a small Leg Lamp (Christmas Story) that will suffice as Yule decoration, as will the constant stream of Christmas imaging I make for my computer wallpaper and for my amusement. I will sent an image or two off as Christmas cards that I will print out here. Sorry to be so maudlin; it wasn't my intention.

 

[parkdalegardener]

Earl; I can relate to that. I have a kid sister that lives on the Coast, but few other living relatives. I few cousins scattered across the planet that I haven't seen in 60 years or so and a couple of close friends here in the City that I have been in personal contact with only a couple of times in the last two years. My wife passed a few years back. The pandemic thing has taken a tole on the mental health of many and has indeed increased the sense of loneliness that many feel this time of year. As Hornet says, contact with others who have no animosity is a good thing. That is why we come here. To chat with others who are not out there to troll or harass and can accept each other in the spirit of our commonality of art inclusion for all.

 

[robert952]

I'm in a 'just protect myself' mode. Mask whenever I am indoors (or outdoors if distancing not possible). I have my booster shot. And I know I can still catch CoVid.

However, my chances of survival if I catch CoVid19 are much higher when compared to those unvaccinated based on multiple sources of information from around the globe.

That's the best I can hope for at this point.

 

[Hornet3d]

I don't dislike Christmas and quite enjoy the celebration. With my grocery today I picked up a small fruit cake (yeah, I like 'em and was raised on them) and a couple of other small niceties that I wouldn't normally purchase; but decorating and the like is indeed kind of lonely as I discovered last year when everything was cancelled. I have a small Leg Lamp (Christmas Story) that will suffice as Yule decoration, as will the constant stream of Christmas imaging I make for my computer wallpaper and for my amusement. I will sent an image or two off as Christmas cards that I will print out here. Sorry to be so maudlin; it wasn't my intention.#

I did not see it as being maudlin, just a description of how your Christmas is looking under present circumstances. As I said I have a niece that hates Christmas and has done form a very early age. We can't all like the same things and life is too short not to enjoy ourselves at least as much as life will allow.

 

[Hornet3d]

I'm in a 'just protect myself' mode. Mask whenever I am indoors (or outdoors if distancing not possible). I have my booster shot. And I know I can still catch CoVid.

However, my chances of survival if I catch CoVid19 are much higher when compared to those unvaccinated based on multiple sources of information from around the globe.

That's the best I can hope for at this point.

You have to accept that life itself is a gamble and all you can do is try and get the odds as much in your favour as possible.

 

[Terre]

You have to accept that life itself is a gamble and all you can do is try and get the odds as much in your favour as possible.

Agreed.

 

[unreal]

After kidhood, I didn't like the Christmas holidays other than a break from school or work. And that was me as an adult. But then I met someone way cooler than me

My fave part of Christmas (now) is a "tradition" my partner and I established on a whim, nearly 20 years ago. We get wish lists for various families. Vetted by organizations. And we do our Christmas shopping for them rather than ourselves and our families.

There's just something fun in shopping for people who will genuinely appreciate the gifts. Buying good work boots for a bloke doing construction, a bicycle for a girl to ride to school...

There were times in my life where I was one of those people. I was lucky then because other people cared. And I've been lucky since.

Some philosophical people would say that sharing is a social debt to be paid. I say it's a privilege to be enjoyed!

Santa Claus is as real as the person looking back at you from a mirror.

 

[Hornet3d]

After kidhood, I didn't like the Christmas holidays other than a break from school or work. And that was me as an adult. But then I met someone way cooler than me

My fave part of Christmas (now) is a "tradition" my partner and I established on a whim, nearly 20 years ago. We get wish lists for various families. Vetted by organizations. And we do our Christmas shopping for them rather than ourselves and our families.

There's just something fun in shopping for people who will genuinely appreciate the gifts. Buying good work boots for a bloke doing construction, a bicycle for a girl to ride to school...

There were times in my life where I was one of those people. I was lucky then because other people cared. And I've been lucky since.

Some philosophical people would say that sharing is a social debt to be paid. I say it's a privilege to be enjoyed!

Santa Claus is as real as the person looking back at you from a mirror.

A novel tradition but one I love the idea of. We give to charities throughout the year on a regular basis but that is only in the form of a cash donation. At Christmas there is usually a charity run collection such as food at our local supermarket or toys which are then distributed by a charity and we always give something. It is not on the same level as your tradition but it is nice to feel someone who really needs it is benefitting.

 

[Stezza]

I don't donate money to charities that are run at supermarkets or come door to door as only 5% of what you donate actually goes to where it's needed..

my preference now is to pay forward at a checkout or cafe and can be done anytime during the year and you know where it's going as I've randomly picked someone out to receive it.

My last one was at a cafe where the table next to me was having lunch, there was two carers and three disabled young adults with elderly parents.. I just took note of their table number when I went to pay for my table and paid for theirs as well...

this happens a lot in my area and is very rewarding.

 

[Miss B]

I like that idea Stezza, and "pay forward" sounds familiar, so we must have/had something like that here as well. I just haven't heard anything about it in recent years.

 

[Hornet3d]

I don't donate money to charities that are run at supermarkets or come door to door as only 5% of what you donate actually goes to where it's needed..

my preference now is to pay forward at a checkout or cafe and can be done anytime during the year and you know where it's going as I've randomly picked someone out to receive it.

My last one was at a cafe where the table next to me was having lunch, there was two carers and three disabled young adults with elderly parents.. I just took note of their table number when I went to pay for my table and paid for theirs as well...

this happens a lot in my area and is very rewarding.

I should have been clearer with my description as I have the same aversion as you have with giving donations where such a small percentage of the money goes to the charity. The supermarket collection I was referring to is where you add items to your shop and then place those items in to cages set aside for collection. In most cases the food collected in this way is then donated to local food banks who ensure that the food goes to those that really need it.

Cash wise the only donations I make is to Macmillan Nurses who support those living with cancer and a local hospice both of whom supported my mother many years ago when she was dying of cancer.

What I avoid completely is the hoards of collectors in the high street pushing you to sign up to make a monthly donation to charities.

I like the idea you had of paying for lunch for the family with carers, similar donations have happened in the UK but they are usually so rare we only normally know about them from newspaper articles.

 

[Terre]

I don't donate money to charities that are run at supermarkets or come door to door as only 5% of what you donate actually goes to where it's needed..

my preference now is to pay forward at a checkout or cafe and can be done anytime during the year and you know where it's going as I've randomly picked someone out to receive it.

My last one was at a cafe where the table next to me was having lunch, there was two carers and three disabled young adults with elderly parents.. I just took note of their table number when I went to pay for my table and paid for theirs as well...

this happens a lot in my area and is very rewarding.

Great idea. There have been a few times when I've seen something on the news being done like that here in the States. I'd love to see more happen.

 

[Stezza]

it can catch on.. it started where I live just by paying for your coffee/tea and also the next persons... many times when going through the Maccas drivethrough the car in front will pay for the next car and then it kinda just goes from there..

the other day someone anonymously paid for all the Christmas Laybys at the local KMart store WOW!... it doesn't matter how big or how small it's the thought and good karma that comes from doing it.

I know it has happened on some 3d sites as well, gifting someone an item .. it happened to me out of the blue a few years ago ( twice ) where a vendor has sent me a gift just because..

 

[Hornet3d]

I have been gifted a few things by vendors which is really nice but then 3D artists in general seem to be a great bunch. I have noticed in the past where some people have offered computer parts free to some where their present computer has failed.

 

[unreal]

A novel tradition but one I love the idea of. We give to charities throughout the year on a regular basis but that is only in the form of a cash donation. At Christmas there is usually a charity run collection such as food at our local supermarket or toys which are then distributed by a charity and we always give something. It is not on the same level as your tradition but it is nice to feel someone who really needs it is benefitting.

Awesome.

It's a great feeling. Clearly evolution gave us that feeling for a reason. Evolution is stingy. We have it because it's good for survival. I say: indulge the feeling and go for it!

I also enjoy dragging a shopping trolley over to the store and going on a food buying binge then dragging it over to the local church's food collection. I love stuffing the baskets to overflowing

What's funny is I notice when I do that, people start to "pile on". It's like a personal challenge to others. "Oh, you think you can contribute more food than me? Think again, chump."

Challenge accepted!

 

[unreal]

I don't donate money to charities that are run at supermarkets or come door to door as only 5% of what you donate actually goes to where it's needed..

my preference now is to pay forward at a checkout or cafe and can be done anytime during the year and you know where it's going as I've randomly picked someone out to receive it.

My last one was at a cafe where the table next to me was having lunch, there was two carers and three disabled young adults with elderly parents.. I just took note of their table number when I went to pay for my table and paid for theirs as well...

this happens a lot in my area and is very rewarding.

That's super fun. And it's win-win. You feel great, they feel great.

We have a gameified version of that. There are cards. Things like "buy a coffee for a stranger".

You must live in a very nice area